1982 300D: A New Hope
 

Well, after three months of obsessive searching, I finally got my new old replacement car: a China Blue 1982 300D, and she is a beauty. My old 300D, an 85, was totaled at the beginning of February, and I've been depressed ever since. No more!

I could not have gotten through this were it not for many kind folks on this forum. You all taught me what to look for, where to look, and how to deal with my insurance company. JeffreyNMemphis and TylerH860 talked me down when I was tempted to jump off the 1971 280SEL gasser ledge. (I needed a daily driver and have no mechanical experience--just a lust for classics.) Daw_Two talked to me for nearly an hour on the phone teaching me how to search for rust properly. Jeremy5848 provided me with an exhaustive checklist to find potential issues. SD300TD, SkidRowJoe, and TNBob sent me leads on possible replacement cars. JimSmith, VSTech, and WHunter gave me advice on the PPI process.

I am very grateful to you.

She's got 110,000 documented miles shown through Carfax and service records, and ZERO rust. The car was on the East Coast for the past three years--in TX the rest of the time. I paid $6,500. I know that's going to seem super high to many veterans here, but remember, I can't do my own mechanical work--yet--and the car is very clean. She was delivered yesterday. ($1300, top loaded, enclosed shipping from CT to CA--a steal, and I'm only a bit over what I received from my insurance payout.)

I took her straight to my indy MB mechanic and will pick her up tomorrow. Everyone in the shop came over to see and oohed and awed over it. And they all started laughing when I told them how excited I was about the warning triangle, first-aid kit, and tool kit being present and correct. (This is what I am reduced to with my ignorance of mechanical concerns! :rolleyes:)

I am absolutely stunned at how much more power this car has than my 85 California version 300D did. The EGR valve is bypassed via the BB trick, and there's none of that other trap oxidizer business to impede performance. This car feels zippy and positively light. I never thought I'd say that about a 300D.

I am absolutely thrilled to be back in a vintage MB. I've been driving a borrowed 1995 Lincoln low-rider couch rocket, and while I have been utterly grateful for the transportation, it was depressing as hell to drive it--a daily reminder of what I lost. I am so happy to hear the diesel engine again and look out over the glossy hood to see the three-pointed star.



Without further ado, these are the pictures I have now. (No engine pics yet, but it's clean as a whistle.) I am particularly impressed with the condition of the interior and the wheels, and the paint looks perfect.

Here are the pictures.


Thanks you guys . . . for everything!

Sweet looking ride! A friend of mine had one just like it.

Very impressive looking car! Congrats and welcome back.

Nice car, well done.

He shoots, he scores!!! Looks great. Must be an early build 82, with the chrome cowl vents.

You're welcome...
 

Looks like a peach of a car!

Let us know your mechanic's assessment of your car.

Very nice, my favorite color combo :P

Most of us understand the jonesing you have done for another MB so we this time will not get into pricing.

Very clean looking MB and hopefully your indy will concur.

At least now you have several yrs to 'get your hands dirty' before you will be out looking for another one for you.

good looking car. The steering wheel looks like the mileage as well.

Best of luck with it !!

welcome back, and you're welcome!
thrilled you got one you love. my 83 TD is zippy like that, amazing to me.

Very nice purchase. Looks great. Congratulations!

It could be attributed from a number of things. But one thing is the difference in rear axle gearing. Your '85 had a taller gear. So take offs would be a bit slower.


.

You are very welcome, glad I could help. Beautiful Car!

Thanks so much you guys! My mechanic, Broadway German Auto Service in Long Beach, felt that I made an excellent choice, and his validation was a huge relief. I trust him.

He said the car was very well maintained--new Bilsteins all around, new starter, engine mounts, and a noteworthy lack of rust even on parts that routinely show it. I am going to need brake pads sometime before the end of the summer depending on driving. The seller included a set of OEM pads, which is exactly what my mechanic would have ordered--he's not big on ceramics. Right now I am not thrilled with the way the brakes feel--a bit spongy and not as responsive as I am used to, so I am going to get this done ASAP.

I had all the belts replaced--some were a bit cracked, probably from the harsh temperature extremes in CT, and all fluids replaced, including power steering and radiator fluid. Oil change, too. He put in a new shift bushing, and the expansion tank for the radiator was cracked, so that was replaced as well. (He tried to explain what a shift bushing was, but I didn't get it. I'll have to look it up. I really want to learn my parts!)

One of the many reasons I trust my mechanic is that he takes the time to tell me what I need to budget for in the future, so we have a long-term plan of attack. Around the end of the year, depending on my driving, I am looking at ball joints and upper control arms. (Two more things I need to look up!)

Next year, he said we should look at replacing the drive shaft flex disc and consider a new muffler. Apparently there's a tiny hole in mine. He said this is mostly about noise--and the car is so quiet now that I'm not too worried.

Oh and I have a tiny crack in my CV boot on the passenger side rear. No clunking noise or leaking. He said to watch for leaks or noise. I've heard that sound before on my old car.

He didn't seem too concerned about the timing belt. . . I may have to ask him when I go in for brakes. Can such a thing be checked, or is it more about just doing it at specific mileage increments?


DeliveryValve when you say that my 85 had "taller gear," do you mean that this part was actually taller? (Pardon my extreme ignorance--I want to learn this stuff.)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/3866256307_0369bd95ce_b.jpg

Is that a picture of the differential? And the rear axles connect to that, right?

Is it that round part that is taller--the bit with the teeth? I can't for the life of me understand how that affects torque--except for a smaller "circle thing" would rotate faster, all else being equal. Shouldn't have skipped physics in college!


Okay, so here's the tally:
Brake pads, in the next few months.
Ball joints (3) by end of year.
Upper control arms by end of year.
Drive shaft flex disc next year.
Muffler next year unless things get noisy sooner.
Unsure: CV boot and timing chain

This is about what I expected--I know it's a 28-year old car. What do you think?

Seems you have a good handle on things, but I'll add my 2 cents anyway.
There is a minimum thickness of the pads and rotors too. I'll suggest obtaining the Factory Service Manual on cd-rom from here; http://www.classictechlit.mbusa.com/MB/cstmsearch.asp?MYID=1036&SDID=1271&MDID=1163&ENID=1156&catalog_name=Retail
For $20 plus shipping, a very good price for much info. Measure the rotors, they may need replacing too.
I'll say this tho, unless the ball joint boots are torn or they squeak, leave 'em alone.
The UCA has a bushing that will wear out and a new one comes with the upper ball joint installed. The lower ball joints are a different story, again, if they aren't causing any problems, no need to fix it.
If you replace the flex disc/s, replace the center bearing too.
Pay close attention to CV boot, if it doesn't currently leak, you'll be okay, treat it if you can. But if left to allow dirt and dust in, that can be costly as it leads to a half shaft replacement.
The timing chain can be adjusted via an offset woodruf key, your mechanic knows what that is.
The shift bushing is a plastic pice that fails after many years. I think there are three, I've replaced the lower one.
Good luck and keep us posted.

Nice straight car by the looks of it - good find!