77 and 83 240D engine difference? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

don-vee · #1 07-30-2008, 10:20 AM

Hey, got a few questions. I have two 240Ds, one's a 76 with an auto and the other is an 83 with a stick. I originally bought them both to part out. I am building a diesel-powered 31 Ford Model A, and these two cars were bought for their drivetrains, or so I thought. The 76 was bought sight unseen, I was told it ran great but some frame sections were rotted. Turns out, one part of the frame was rotted, and it's easily fixable. The motor runs good, maybe a little hard to start (and I hate that stupid starting plunger, I like the key much better). The rest of the car is pretty nice, so I'm thinking it's too nice to part out. So, I bought the 83, which is legitimately too far gone to fix. Still runs great, though, and it's a stick, which is what I wanted originally.
So, here's my dilemma. I could just pull the guts out of the 83 and use all that, but the engine in the 76 is just WAY nicer looking for what I want to do. It's simpler, and just looks like a more proper engine for a hot rod. I know it sounds stupid, but with the nature of this project, the aesthetics of the engine are very important. So, I wanted to know what the differences are with these two motors. I'm thinking about pulling the engine from the 76 and using that, along with the trans from the 83, and using the motor from the 83 and dropping that back into the 76. That way, I'll have what I want-good looking, simple motor with the stickshift in the Model A, and a good-running later motor and auto in the 76. Can this be done? What problems might I encounter?
Thanks to all for your help.

vstech · #2 07-30-2008, 12:10 PM

post some pics.
why is the 77 so much better looking?
is the oil filter down on that model?
lets see this A... my 31 is all original... never thought about putting a diesel in there...

rs899 · #3 07-30-2008, 12:13 PM

"plunger"? Are your sure this is a '77 (W123 w/OM616) and not a '76 (W115 w/OM615)? If so, the OM615 will not fit the W123 chassis, I don't think.

don-vee · #4 07-31-2008, 09:13 AM

You know what? I checked on it, and it is a 76. The title says 77, but it has the body style of a 76. So yeah, how screwed am I? I edited this entire post to fix my dumb mistake. Thanks for pointing it out.
The engine on the 76 just looks cleaner, more simplified, more "vintage" looking, just a lot more suited to what I want to do.
I'm planning on painting the block John Deere green, swirl-polishing the valve cover and intake, using all chrome acorn nuts and bolts, and using polished and lacquered copper hard lines, and topping it off with some homemade open zoomie headers. It'll be unique, I can promise that.
I'm definitely not looking into fitting the OM615 into the W123 chassis, I'm going the other way around, fitting the OM616 into the W115. So, basically, I guess what I need to know is, what will it take to make the later engine fit in the 76? Will it bolt up to the auto trans? And will the 76 engine bolt up to the 83 trans?
By the way, since I didn't mention, I'm pretty decent with fabbing and welding skills. It would be nice if this were a bolt-in, but that's okay if it isn't, if I can't make something work, I have a good friend who has a Masters in engineering and access to a full machine shop.

vstech · #5 07-31-2008, 09:46 AM

you would have equal difficulty transplanting either engine into either body. the oil pans will hit the frames, cause the sumps are on opposite ends of the blocks... the 615 block will work out better in the A though. is this the one with the metal return lines? nice.
also, DO NOT MAKE LINES FROM COPPER!!! the injector lines are very thick steel lines, to handle the massive pressure from the IP. you can polish the outside, and copper plate the OUTSIDE, but explain to the plater that the ends MUST not be plated or plugged!

don-vee · #6 07-31-2008, 03:23 PM

Yep, I was actually thinking the same thing with the copper plating. Good call, thanks.

bgkast · #7 07-31-2008, 05:46 PM

I would put the '83 engine in the "hot rod". It has a bit more power than the '76 and the oil filter is not a pain to access. All of the extra vacuum "crud" mounted on the '83 engine can be removed for your custom application; it is not necessary for the engine to run.