And that's an excellent call because in fact the issue in my case wasn't the turbo but the torque converter (I was considering a 722.5/6, not MT). The fear is the torque converter will dip into the stall range at low engine rpm.

Are you running a 2.65 or 3.07?

Sixto
87 300D

I did this on a motorhome, ran 4:11 gears on a ZF with .83:1 overdrive with lockup, 12Rx22.5 tires, ... was running 1200rpm at 70mph IIRC. I had to stay in 4th gear for pretty much anything below a 70mph speed zone because I was out of the boost/power in 5th. You have to keep in mind what your driving conditions will be and gear appropriately.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

In some cases the hub won't take load without a shaft in place. You might need a stub axle for that and to complete the seal like Jeff says. Might save some money in the long run keeping a non 4Matic front end in shape.

Sixto
87 300D

I am betting you have the only 5 spd 300TD/om603 turbo in the US

So did you find the smaller clutch slipped? Cause, Winmutt and myself have slipping at WOT over 4k rpm. IIRC 9.5" is what the m103 uses.

Does that 3.07 work ok? I was looking for a 3.27 originally but ended up getting the really low 4matic one.

__________________
08 R320 CDI current

Past
95 E420
87 300D Turbo 5spd
90 300TE
83 300SD
85 300TD
92 400E
85 190D

2.65, way way too tall. You can certainly live with it, but the engine lugs really easily.

I am also using the diesel(190d) transmission and not the gasser(190e 2.3). The 2.3 is geared slightly taller.

It all starts to make my head spin.

Why in the heck did MB not use locking torque converters?

__________________
08 R320 CDI current

Past
95 E420
87 300D Turbo 5spd
90 300TE
83 300SD
85 300TD
92 400E
85 190D

This would be much easier..

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/2382392169.html

but the price is right there in that area I mentioned.


Converting a 4matic to anything 2WD would be a huge mess IMHO.

__________________
08 R320 CDI current

Past
95 E420
87 300D Turbo 5spd
90 300TE
83 300SD
85 300TD
92 400E
85 190D

Hey.... my TE has a 3.27 according to GSXR's spreadsheet
http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/other/differentials.pdf

__________________
08 R320 CDI current

Past
95 E420
87 300D Turbo 5spd
90 300TE
83 300SD
85 300TD
92 400E
85 190D

2.65 might be too tall for stock, however a little tuning and tweaking and these cars have gobs of punch at idle. They are diesels after all, ...

On the same line of thought, if the 9" slips on a stock engine, I'm not sure that a stock 9.5 is enough if you have any plans to turn it up. Just a thought.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

My friend Ernest told me to be careful, the first gear sprocket was weak and could crack with too much abuse. He told he if I wanted more low end to do it via the diff.

__________________
08 R320 CDI current

Past
95 E420
87 300D Turbo 5spd
90 300TE
83 300SD
85 300TD
92 400E
85 190D

I think i do have the only 300Td/om603 with manual transmission. I never use a smaller clutch I read your posts never had a slipping problem and i was lucky to find a flywheel from a 300E. the 3.07 works good i can shift into 5 gear at 50 m.p.h.

The ultimate vehicle for me. An all-wheel-drive COUPE with a stick and a built 603 would be a ton of fun, too! Nice to be able to dream, huh?

Jay.

__________________
On the road, currently:
'83 300D (German spec.) 168k mi. - - Wolfgang (tucked snugly away for the winter!)
'87 300D 375k mi. - finally went over to "The Dark Side"
'87 300TD 225k mi.
Cannondale 66cm CAAD5 w/Campy/Jamis Aurora
Hujsak Custom Fixie/Landshark Track Shark Custom/Ahearne Custom 29'er

so is it somehow easier to swap 1987 603 engine AND automatic transmission from a donor 87TD donor to early 90s 300TE 4Matic than what was discussed in this thread(603 engine + manual transmission -i guess was the original question)?

then out of nowhere u(sixto) suggest 87 drivetrain should not b a problem even into 4Matic 300TE
slightly confused...

trying to finalize:
is swap of complete drivetrain(engine+auto transmission)from 87TD(wagon) to 91 300TE 4Matic possible without discussed troubles?
Any difference for non 4Matic?

can somebody in the KNOW enlighten us,what combination was succesfully completed or thought about

thank you

uf....sometimes trying to formulate a post is rather brain and time consuming :-)

As long as you don't mind not having 4matic afterwards, skipping the 4matic would make it way easier.

I was speaking only from a mechanical standpoint; making nuts and bolts fit. If 4Matic has any type of engine control or interface, it is unlikely to work with a US spec 87 300D/TD EDS.

I haven't heard of anyone converting a 300TE to Diesel or a 4Matic to RWD. If you're in the US, there are nice 300TDs available. You can do a facelift to make an 87 TD look and feel like a 94-95 E320 wagon and you can keep the car driveable through most of the facelift. ASR and passenger side airbag are about the only options that are difficult to transfer.

Sixto
87 300D

IIRC the early 4Matic did not include ASR so you should be able to get it to work with the EDS.

-J

__________________
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.