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  #1  
Old 03-22-2015, 08:39 AM
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Location: Hattiesburg MS
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New to me: Russet Brown 300d

Hello,
Have been reading pelican/forums for sometime and looking for the right 300d. Finally pulled the trigger and picked up a beautiful russet brown 300d 1983. Also have a mocha brown 911 sc 1982 and have appreciated pelican assistance with technical issues. The 300d is great. 109k miles and seems mechanically doing well. Palomino interior MB tex. Drives amazing and tracks better at 65mph than the 04 landcruiser. Overall I am very pleased with the car and have redone various interior parts and glued a lot of trim pieces. However, I live in south MS and there aren't many MB repair shops around here. So I'm looking forward to learning MB projects as I go. I've been starting on small projects to keep this car in excellent shape. Also worked on the chrome and exterior rubber which made a big difference. I was going to repaint the wheels but after a good cleaning they looked pretty good. But of course, there are some persisting issues that I will ask some advice about. Thanks in advance for your advice... Here are a few questions for now:

1-Rough 1-2 upshift. Vacuum to transmission is OK. I am thinking about adjusting the green plastic "modulator" or should I plan on just replacing this as well? Does transmission fluid make a big difference in auto shifting smoothness? In the 911 gearbox changing out fluid made a big difference in shifting.

2-Pinstriping. It is cracking off and detracts from the look of the car. Any advice on removing pinstripes (they appear to be tape style, not painted.) Will the area have paint damage where they are removed?

3-Headlight surround plastic. Looks worn and needs replacement. Are there any tricks to removing the bezels? i haven't gotten the new bezels at this point.

4-Right Rear door check strap is broken about 1" off of the body attachment. Are there any options to spot weld or do I need to replace the whole door check strap component?

I am very much enjoying the car and looking forward to keeping it in great condition. Will appreciate any feedback and will come back with more questions in the future.

Thanks,
Jake

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New to me:  Russet Brown 300d-fullsizerender-3.jpg   New to me:  Russet Brown 300d-fullsizerender-1.jpg   New to me:  Russet Brown 300d-fullsizerender-8.jpg   New to me:  Russet Brown 300d-fullsizerender-6.jpg  
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  #2  
Old 03-22-2015, 08:41 AM
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Location: Hattiesburg MS
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More Pics 300d

I appreciate pics when I read a new post, so here you go. Some interior pics in these.
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New to me:  Russet Brown 300d-fullsizerender-5.jpg   New to me:  Russet Brown 300d-fullsizerender-7.jpg   New to me:  Russet Brown 300d-fullsizerender-2.jpg   New to me:  Russet Brown 300d-fullsizerender-4.jpg  
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  #3  
Old 03-22-2015, 11:18 AM
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Nice looking car!. A firm 1-2 upshift is the nature of the beast. It should smooth a little as the transmission warms up. The headlight "doors" are easily removable with no tools, and are secured with three plastic thumbwheels.
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  #4  
Old 03-22-2015, 12:04 PM
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That is a very good looking car. There was a good shop in Long Beach (Kohl Motors) that I used for some suspension work on my 240D a few years back but its a bit of a hike from Hattiesburg. As was already posted the headlight doors are super simple to change out and new ones are around $40-50 each IIRC. Can you post a picture of the broken strap? Depending on the break it might be simple to fix.
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  #5  
Old 03-22-2015, 12:34 PM
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Love the color.

The check strap will have to be replaced.
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  #6  
Old 03-22-2015, 03:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mochasc View Post
1-Rough 1-2 upshift. Vacuum to transmission is OK. I am thinking about adjusting the green plastic "modulator" or should I plan on just replacing this as well? Does transmission fluid make a big difference in auto shifting smoothness? In the 911 gearbox changing out fluid made a big difference in shifting.
Synthetic fluid can make shifts smoother when cold as in similar to warm shifts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mochasc View Post
2-Pinstriping. It is cracking off and detracts from the look of the car. Any advice on removing pinstripes (they appear to be tape style, not painted.) Will the area have paint damage where they are removed?
I don't think the paint will be damaged but it might not be as faded as the surrounding paint depending on how the rest of the paint was exposed to the sun and mechanical buffing.

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  #7  
Old 03-22-2015, 03:24 PM
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Here is a picture of the broken check strap. The front driver's door strap is gold, and the others are russet brown. So the driver's must have been replaced at some point.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. On the topic of pin striping, it does seem that the paint will look different underneath. So I guess I can redo the pinstriping. Can any paint shop handle this if it turns out poorly once I get the stripes off? And can anyone recommend a good way to get the tape stripes off?

Thanks in advance.
Jake
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  #8  
Old 03-22-2015, 03:26 PM
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And thanks for the tip on synthetic trans fluid. Will do a search to see what everyone likes here.
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  #9  
Old 03-22-2015, 03:28 PM
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Your car appears to be in outstanding condition! Where was the car located during it's previous lifespan? Do you know if the exterior has ever been repainted? If not - that is a real find! I'd love to ask if you would post a few pics of the engine radiator compartment. please? Thanks!
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  #10  
Old 03-22-2015, 03:35 PM
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I have had Mobil 1 ATF in mine for a while now, and I have no complaints.
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Garage:

2017 Chevy Colorado Diesel (nanny state emissions)
2005 Volvo S40 T5 AWD, 77k
1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D turbodiesel, 4 sp auto, 156k - 28.7 mpg
1996 Tracker 4x4, 2 door, 16v, 3 sp auto. 113k - 28.6 mpg

WARNING: this post may contain dangerous free thinking.
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  #11  
Old 03-22-2015, 03:53 PM
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The car was purchased new in NC at Bob King Pontiac. It even has a stack of service folders and other tags and new car paperwork. It is really fascinating. Also has original build sheet/window papers. Even includes the metal "protectoplate" ID tag from original owner. I even found the toolkit in the original plastic bag that says "Diesel". In about 2005 it moved to Atlanta. Has extensive documentation for work done, so I imagine this would have been clear if it was repainted. There is also significant discoloration where the dealer decal was placed (and subsequently removed) above the "300D" on the trunk lid. I suspect this would not be the case if it was repainted. Take a look at the engine bay pics and let me know if you have any feedback.
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  #12  
Old 03-22-2015, 03:54 PM
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trunk pics
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  #13  
Old 03-22-2015, 04:15 PM
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smoke gets in your eyes
 
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Coolant level is low. Send it back

Sixto
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  #14  
Old 03-22-2015, 04:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sixto View Post
Coolant level is low. Send it back

Sixto
MB-less
Good catch, sixto. It's got one foot in the grave already.

OP: I'll free you of this ticking time bomb for a generous $500. Let me know when we can transfer the title into my name .
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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."
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Old 03-22-2015, 04:58 PM
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In case you can't tell, I'm totally jealous . Nice find.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."
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