Manual transmission swap question
 

I managed to find an old 1983 280E. It's a Euro model. I'm already going to harvest the seats and mats and some other interior parts. However the car also has the manual 4 speed. Is this the same manual transmission that's in the 240D of the same year and style? (W123). I have a 240D that has a shot automatic and I'm looking to swap it for a 4 speed. This looked great because the clutch slave cylinder etc, are all still there. Plus I can get it for CHEAP.

I am SOOO jealous! Green with envy.

Phil Forrest

Ah but will it work? Do you need anything? I can grab other stuff while I'm there...

Has what appears to be a Sanden aftermarket AC as well. Oddball mounted up where the Yorks usually are. Wonder if that's worth taking too?

The trany will bolt right up to the 240. the flywheel will be on the light side though. Come to think of it if you keep the 280 flywheel I have a low mileage clutch disc and pressure plate for the 280 that i will let go reasonably.

Which side it the starter on? The transmission is probably the Iron box.The starter on the Diesels is on the right side. if the 280 is on the left side the Bell Housing on these boxes detach and you can source one for a Diesel.

Here is some manual transmission info from STD. second picture is the iron box type used in the 220D, 240D, 300D, 280E etc... then the next picture is the one they went to in 82, the all one piece.
Manual Transmission information

You will need the trans X mount for the 240 manual trans, it`s a narrow one with one bolt on each side.
Grab the peddle assy, shifter, shift rods. not sure if the 280 FW will work or not, probably lighter and the crank holes are not the same. might have to source a 240 manual FW.

The shifter will bolt to the same holes as the auto shifter.

I would grab that front section of the DL and the X mount. think those will work if installing a 617 eng into a 240D. read over in STD the front section is the right length, so no cutting the DL.

I would use a new Master Cylinder and Slave Cylinder and not use the one on that car. they are difficult enough to bleed, and you don`t want to do it over.
Be sure to use line wrenches to remove the clutch line.

How many miles on this 280E?
the Differential should be a 3:58, your 240 is a 3:69. I installed one in our 80 240 and helps out on the Hwy. If you do, grab the spedo, they are geared together.

Do a search, there are a ton of threads on doing a swap. mostly on installing one in a 300D, but the 240 should be a snap. It should be plug and play.

Charlie

Thanks Charmalu. Appreciate all the info. Somebody got to the speedometer before I did so I may have to find another one. Does still have the speedo cable though. I'll probably go yank the whole drive line from the tranny down this weekend. Also planning to grab the seats, mats, door panels and windshield. No idea on the mileage on this but it looks like it had been sitting under a barn for years. Has tons of straw and such and dirt on it.

The fw holes are the same. IIRC the 280 fw weighs around 20#.

The 240D FW weighs around 28lbs and the 617 FW around 38lbs

There is a 81 280E in one of our yards I pulled a bunch of stuff from. It has the 3:58 Diff but think the spedo goes to 85mph. the one
I have goes to 150mph and is also geared to a 3:58. this car had 109K miles on it. I pulled the Diff for a spare for my 240. just don`t see the 3:58 very often.

Charlie

I have a 358 here somewhere that I will let go reasonably if someone wants it.;)

I am pretty sure.

Well I played hookey from work today and spent the whole day pulling this out. Got everything except the diff. The way they had it propped up in the yard I couldn't get to the four bolts on top of the differential mounting it to the suspension.I did get the back bracket off before realizing this and giving up. If anybody has a way to get to those bolts I'm all ears. It was the iron box in pic 2 with the sloping middle section. It had the starter on the right side. Only thing I lost was the plastic cap that went over the spring end of the shifter. Somehow I lost it between the yard and the van I loaded it into. I'm hoping this isn't one of those rare 'Unobtainium" parts.

I was kind of sick. It was an LKQ yard and they had several W123's behind the fence. One was pile don the crush pile with pristine interior(that I sure could use) and a shiny original MB windshield. In talking to the manager aparently the only reason this car made it out was the guy running the crusher wanted some parts off it so he talked the guy into putting it in the yard. I tried to convince him to sell me the interior or windshield of the car about to be crushed but no dice. he has a really nice dark blue 300D turbo that looks brand new and the chrome still shines piled behind the fence too. Offered to buy it and again no dice. what gives with these guys? I can't find decent seats and this guy is crushing them all day!

I went back on Friday to get a couple more parts off the 280E with 109K, and a nutural safety switch off the 79 300D. they were almost facing ea other, and both rows are gone.:( but they brought in another 77 280E dark blue and in nice shape, but unk milage, some one got the spedo. and in the other yard is a 84 230E with the 3:50 Diff. don`t see these often and now a bumper crop of them. I haven`t seen any of these coming in with manual trans.

The don`t keep the cars in the yards for long, usually a month. I was told when they have too many cars coming in and can`t get them set in the rows. they just crush them.:eek:

Charlie

So are the flywheels for the manual and automatic on a 240D the same? I grabbed the 280 flywheel but I know it;s light. I'm also a bit confused about the driveshaft. So the Driveshaft from the 280 will work to mount a manual tranny to a 300D. Would this make it too short for a 240D?

Yes, but you should be able to find a ds. I think I have one actually. I have converted a 240 to 300 so should have the ds around here that you need, but I'll need a dimension as I have several.;)

Nice time of the year to play hookey. Don't blame ya. Post some pictures of the progress. I'd like to see.