Hello Again,
so, i have been slowly rebuilding a 1980 Mercedes 300td....so far i have managed to swap out the N/A OM617 with a turbo charged model, swapped out slush box automatic transmission to a '83 4speed manual transmission, removed the trashed SLS and replaced them with conventional springs and struts (rides very nice). there is a lot more that had to be fixed or bypassed or just replaced. However, i am at the point where i need to swap out the N/A gauge cluster to a model that has a tachometer. Has anyone ever tackled this job? i am sure there will be a lot of wiring, but i am trying to figure out if i should use a cluster from a turbo charged wagon or if any 300 early 80's model would work...any help would be great, thanks in advance.

What Differential does your 80TD have? my guess is a 3:46.
The Spedometer is geared to the Differential. so if you pull one from a Turbo Diesel, you will need it`s Diff.

82 - 84 uses a 3:07 Diff
85 uses a 2:88 Diff.

The 300SD of the same years, Diff will also fit into your W123.

To have a Tach work, remove the Tach Amp off the left inner fender, and the wiring harness.

85 uses a different Tach and tach pick up, more complicated.

You won`t need to swap out the whole gauge cluster, just replace the clock for a tach.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works