Or in a Ford van with coolant temp creeping up on a 90 degree day. With two hundred miles to go coming home coolant level OK. I figured try running with the heat on full blast, finished that leg soaking wet maybe 105+ vehicle temp.

If you want to come more up north, you can experience snow with all that!!

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Last installment.

And a good thing too, am getting very frustrated with Peach parts software problems, getting kicked off and forum slowness.
Left Kent Ohio at 0930 yesterday. Great drive in the rain along an Ohio Turnpike without too much traffic and 55 degree temps.
Stopped on Turnpike, got a couple positive comments about the car, which always happens.
Always interesting trying to find a spot where I can park on an incline and back pout, until I get the reverse gear issue fixed.
Back in Michigan—easy to tell: BUMP BUMP BUMP{- you get the idea.
Get off I-75-N and take I-275 connector, not too used at this point in MI, so little traffic and smooth sailing the last 40 miles home, by 1400.
I call Karl, the only guy I trust to work on the car and ask to bring in the 240D for AC and shift linkage work. His 30 second assessment is possibly linkage bushings which are cheap and available. AC will need more work, he’s fast good and reasonable. Plus he knows the W123 better than anyone.
His other advice: fix the other little things myself. Buy a mity vac, get a vacuum diagram and fix the vacuum leaks, this will also improve brake boost. Ditto with the glovebox lock, door lock and other minor items.
Final fuel economy assessment: 33.8 gallons for 1333.6 miles 39.45 gallons. Seems credible, since I drove most of the way at 55-60 MPH. may lose some when the AC starts being used.
The car will need some items from the junkyard to be driveable:
All window tint has to be replaced, and I have a copy of the MI tint laws.
Also need right-side W123 side mirror—anyone got one? Or do I go to the junkyard?
Need to carefully scrape a few windshield decals off
Need to replace the visors or do something with them, the feel like they are filled with sugar or sand and make a crunching noise. Am betting that the heat dissolved the paper/plastic inside. Maybe I’ll make a very small hole, pull out the old stuff and replace with liquid urethane about hardness 30.
Got to repair the odometer, need to check it. Will probably add LED bulbs if I have the instrument panel out.
Also thinking about lining the glove box with aluminum siding pieces. Keeps it bright, keeps it clean, prevents it from getting old or wet and falling apart.
May also do a little trunk clean-up but that will depend on time and energy.
Plus I have to look at the underside and possible do a little cleaning and maybe some spot painting and inspections of underside items.

Next trip is Manhattan KS.... soon

ASSESSMENT:
1. I am DEFINITELY glad I bought the car from The Don
2. I was glad to help out The Don, who is a great hospitable guy. May take him and his wife to dinner when I take a business trip to Orlando in August, if it can be arranged.
3. I now have the ideal summer speedster with AC and OK fuel economy.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

39 mpg sounds like you got a good one. Is this the dark brown or maroon one that sat for a long time? I think Don bought green cluster LED's from me. He didn't install them? I have a r.s. mirror, pm me.

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Oh you are lucky to get that mileage! I have yet to live anywhere, where I can actually just cruise at 55mph and get those miles! I gotten the hint that my cars can get into the 30's but with a minimum speed limit of 75mph in most parts of this state...I never see it

Here are all the bushings needed for the shifter rebuild....I am getting ready to order them all for my euro...mine as well share the part numbers!!

123-267-05-50 x 1
115-267-22-50 x 1
115-267-07-50 x 1
000-992-10-10 x 3
140-992-00-10 x 3

If you want to also replace the clips on the rods there are 6 and number 000-994-41-60

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Thanks, appreicate that!

I learned a while ago that the NA diesel and gas cars made between 1976 and 1988 --the period of 55MPH-- suck fuel above 65mpf.

Guys I work with like to make fun of the older cars, but they spend huge amounts on gas no matter what.

Now the early to late turbos do ok, but my 19 350SDL does well at 70, since it mwas nmade later to cruise at high speeds on the Autobahn.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

I think the w123 manuals you lift up and slide left to get into reverse.I may have been confused with my MINI which I had to just bump over the safety gate to et into reverse.

I seriously replaced every single bushing in the shift mechanism and rods/transmission with dealer parts. No sense in replacing brand new parts. If anything the rods might need some more fine tuning. I spent about an hour resetting them after rebuilding the shifter and associated parts.


The car never came with a passenger mirror, I never needed it. The tint was coming off and I was going to eventually remove it. I left the decals on te windshield because they were OG to the car. You totally have to leave the TAP and Triangle Auto Parts stickers. They are a part of the cars history.

I also reserve the right of first offer if you ever decide to sell. That also stands for "pancakes the 240D I sold to Tom W". Also the brown 240's name is " Uttini"

If all the bushings were already done, I have read the proper way to shift into reverse is to lift up the shifter and slide to the left into reverse....

On mine it is so warn out there is no lock to keep it out of reverse, I pretty much just slide it left and up....but I have read once fixed it will need to be lifted up to get into reverse as it is a lock out feature...

__________________

\

arl won't cheat me, if it just needs adjustment, that's what he'll do.

As far as the other mirror is concerned, a vehicle with tinted glass in Michigan requires two external mirrors. Requested one from one guy's response, awaiting answer.

Looking for a 78 owner's manual to go with the car.

I'll leave the TAP and Triangle stickers on , never fear. But the tint on the front windows has to come off 0r I get a ticket.

So what's the origin of " Uttini" ?

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

As I drove through the different states, I discovered different species of road kill at the side of the highway.

In Florida, no gators -- but THREE, count 'em THREE hedgehogs!

In Georgia a few small coons

In the Carolinas -- a lot of small coons!

In West Virginia -- a fox! yes I stopped and looked. And later, one doe. But there are mountains and ravines there.

In Ohio -- many dead tire treads

In Michigan -- one doe and a coon

If I had gone to Canada I probably would have seen a lot of dead Timn Horton's boxes, eh?

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6