Hey DeliveryValve,

It wasn't off by much ... I asked the machinist and he showed me where he hit the flywheel with what looked like a 1/2" drill, maybe 3/16" deep twice in the same spot. He added a couple of weld beads on the pressure plate in a different spot.

In re-reading my post, I'm seeing that I did leave off the part about bleeding that blessed hydraulic clutch ... ...I wound up using the right-front caliper to the slave cylinder trick. It was pretty much the same as on the 300TD: several mishaps with the hose popping off, brake fluid everywhere, slippery shoes, swearing that I would just go buy a real power bleeder for crying out loud, and then, apparently by the grace of the heavens, the clutch just worked. Good times.

-Dan

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1976 w115 300D 4-speed conversion!!
1985 w123 300TD 4-speed conversion!!

Non-Mercedes old stuff:
1941 Buick Special (Straight 8!)
1946 Luscombe 8a
1947 Willys CJ2a
1950 Chevrolet 4400 dump truck
1954 Chevrolet 3600 3/4 ton
1954 Cessna 195B
1955 John Deere model 40
1991 Ford Taurus SHO
2013 Jetta SportWagen TDI 6-speed (I sold out...