i have not seen an american motors car around this neck of hte woods for many years. they all turned to dust due to the salt / design. maybe a CJ jeep ? if a fellow could find a decent one for not a ton of $$$.

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david h
83 300D Alabama Beauty (Son's)
83 300D West Coast Rust Free that been abused

Jeep Wrangler, or Fastback mustang



O and a Range Rover County

I know a Ford 6.9/7.3 IDI would fit - they are a V8 about the same size and shape as the 401 big-block that they put in the later ones...

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1984 300 Coupe TurboDiesel
Silver blue paint over navy blue interior
2nd owner & 2nd engine in an otherwise
99% original unmolested car
~210k miles on the clock

1986 Ford F250 4x4 Supercab
Charcoal & blue two tone paint over burgundy interior
Banks turbo, DRW, ZF-5 & SMF conversion
152k on the clock - actual mileage unknown

This may be a lame suggestion but I had to throw it out there since in conversation lately with my girlfriend she mentioned turning an older SL convertible roadster into a turbodiesel... I know you can find one of those for around or under a grand with no rust out here in the desert. Would the w123 turbo diesel even fit under the SL hood?

The 380SL had a 3.8 inline 6, right? If so the 3.0 I-5 ought to fit easily. Nothing lame about that suggestion if you can find one with a blown engine...

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1984 300 Coupe TurboDiesel
Silver blue paint over navy blue interior
2nd owner & 2nd engine in an otherwise
99% original unmolested car
~210k miles on the clock

1986 Ford F250 4x4 Supercab
Charcoal & blue two tone paint over burgundy interior
Banks turbo, DRW, ZF-5 & SMF conversion
152k on the clock - actual mileage unknown

actually a 380SL has Two more clyinders than you think it's a 3.8L V8.

My mom has a 83 380SL

One day then, one day... I'll do anything to keep my lady happy and allowing me to play with these beautiful cars.

well i may have a line on a wrangler. . . monday will bring pictures i hope. slowly i have been disecting this junker. there is still lots of savable stuff on it. i have the complete interior out and will put it in my other car. . . complete dash, kick panels and side panels, along with the rear shocks and brakes. they are both better than what i have currently in the car im trying to improve. then it starts to rain. dang. and its a beautiful day besides that. not hot, just dam wet. . . and windy. nest i guess i will need to take out hte driveshaft, rear axels and joints. . . aarrgggg i hate working underneath, its always too dark or too far away or too close. (comes with getting old i guess)

ended up changing the fuel pump that died right at the of the driveway (thankfully) on my 65 chrysler 300 with the "hot" 440 in it. the boy was going to take it to town last night and show it off. .

heavy mother it is, towed it back to the house with my honda. glad no one saw that. . . . cant understand it, the pump was only 26 years old. . . man they just don't make anything good anymore.

haaa, the sun is back, time to go back outside. . . . .

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david h
83 300D Alabama Beauty (Son's)
83 300D West Coast Rust Free that been abused

Ya. Tough the single point injection equipped 360 in my dodge truck seems to motivate it well enough. It does a good job huffing around dead Benzes and VWs....

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

No matter what it goes into you need to do the following while the engine is out of the car:
Block off EGR
Remove black box on top of valve cover
Remove ALDA
Remove injection pump rack limiter
Get a w115 intake manifold (longer runners)
Fabricate an adapter to install a GT2256V turbo
Install said GT2256V turbo along with:
Boost gauge supply line
Exhaust psi supply line(1/4" copper tubing off the manifold, then 1/8" nylon to the gauge)
Exhaust temperature gauge sender (Pre-Turbo)
Pull injectors, rebuild them->search "pop tester"
or->source AAZ 2 stage injectors(search AAZ) and balance them
properly time the IP to 26*BTDC when you're reinstalling it
Remove the old glow plugs
Properly ream the glow plug holes
Install 5 new glow plugs
Block off the PCV oil separator return thingy(rubber cap works fine)
Get a AL129X 115A alternator(fleabay) and install it in place of the crappy 55A stock one
Modify the fuel filter mount to hold a 2micron baldfin filter(higher capacity/flow/better filtering)

You will be looking at 150ish HP and 200ish ft-lbs torque minimum, with no turbo lag

oh yeah valve adjustment, oil changes, and normal seal replacement stuff too

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

my buddy had a two door wagoneer type thing. it had a I6 and was grossly underpowered. he ended up with a small block Chevy in it.

EDIT: looks like it was called a cherokee. same as wagoneer, but with two doors

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1985 300D cali 190K

http://mercedes.thatchermathias.com/mw300d.jpg

It's weird, but when I posted this question I could see the Eagle Derberger posted, but not the waggy. Now looking through the thread again, I can see the waggy and his suggestion to put the OM617 in there.

I'd still have to agree with TylerH - that waggy with an OM617 would accelerate like it was towing a battleship...

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1984 300 Coupe TurboDiesel
Silver blue paint over navy blue interior
2nd owner & 2nd engine in an otherwise
99% original unmolested car
~210k miles on the clock

1986 Ford F250 4x4 Supercab
Charcoal & blue two tone paint over burgundy interior
Banks turbo, DRW, ZF-5 & SMF conversion
152k on the clock - actual mileage unknown

cheep cherokee.............

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

maybe i should just sell the running gear and forget all the good sounding stuff above plus another summer of no other things getting done.

what is the engine worth, complete and ready to run ? ? ? ?

how about the transmission, its said to be very good by p/owner ? ? ? ?

or as a package deal.

major problem, im in the far corner of northwest wisconsin. . . long way from nearly everywhere. .

anyone care to make an offer ? ?

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david h
83 300D Alabama Beauty (Son's)
83 300D West Coast Rust Free that been abused