300se to 300sd - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

greazer2b · #1 08-02-2019, 01:39 PM

Looking at a good 300se with a Great body and interior

Can one put a 617 and drive train into it ? Has anyone done it?

Car has great Palomino interior and Low miles 189,000

What do ya think ?
greazer2b

h3ffe · #2 08-02-2019, 02:15 PM

There's a 420SEL for sale right now with an OM617A swap, so yes it can be done! Are you in a state with inspections?

Quote:

Originally Posted by greazer2b

Looking at a good 300se with a Great body and interior

Can one put a 617 and drive train into it ? Has anyone done it?

Car has great Palomino interior and Low miles 189,000

What do ya think ?
greazer2b

Frank Reiner · #3 08-02-2019, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greazer2b

Looking at a good 300se with a Great body and interior

Can one put a 617 and drive train into it ? Has anyone done it?

Car has great Palomino interior and Low miles 189,000

What do ya think ?
greazer2b

Look at this from C88, and a whole lot of associated threads:
I'm still working on the diesel to gas body project.

greazer2b · #4 08-02-2019, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h3ffe

There's a 420SEL for sale right now with an OM617A swap, so yes it can be done! Are you in a state with inspections?

No Iowa doesn’t have them.
Is the 420 here or elsewhere?
Thanks

jake12tech · #5 08-02-2019, 09:49 PM

Why not 606 swap it?

Diesel911 · #6 08-02-2019, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greazer2b

Looking at a good 300se with a Great body and interior

Can one put a 617 and drive train into it ? Has anyone done it?

Car has great Palomino interior and Low miles 189,000

What do ya think ?
greazer2b

If the SE is a gasser out here in CA you can't do that without asking the entity that runs the emission testing. I believe that is the Bureau of Air Resources.

I only read a little bit about it but; if in the same model year they made a gasser and diesel version you can swap the same model year Diesel Engine and emission related stuff into the gasser but it has to be approved. Earlier or later model year Engines are questionable.

I don't know what they do if you bring a car already altered and registered in another State into the CA and register it here.

h3ffe · #7 08-03-2019, 02:25 AM

You can do a gas to diesel fuel type swap on your title in CA.

Check out ROLLGUY's 300SLD, an R107 380SL that board member mach4 converted to a 617A. Rich (ROLLGUY) calls it a 300SLD now, which is awesome!

The donor engine must be from the same model year or newer as the recipient chassis, and all applicable smog and emissions equipment must be present.

Depending on where in CA you attempt to perform the fuel type swap, you may have to have the vehicle inspected by a Smog Referee for compliance.
Usually you just have to show it to a DMV agent who can confirm, "Yup, that looks and smells like a diesel."

With no inspections in Iowa, you are free to do as you please.

However, my experience with engine swaps is that if the vehicle was available optioned the way you want it, you're better off buying a good one spec'd the way you want it. A creampuff factory 300SD will be better screwed together, hold value better for not being a Frankenstein, and give you less heartache (no costly build process).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel911

If the SE is a gasser out here in CA you can't do that without asking the entity that runs the emission testing. I believe that is the Bureau of Air Resources.

I only read a little bit about it but; if in the same model year they made a gasser and diesel version you can swap the same model year Diesel Engine and emission related stuff into the gasser but it has to be approved. Earlier or later model year Engines are questionable.

I don't know what they do if you bring a car already altered and registered in another State into the CA and register it here.

greazer2b · #8 08-04-2019, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jake12tech

Why not 606 swap it?

I have not done a swop so I’m all ears.
greazer2b

Clemson88 · #9 08-04-2019, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greazer2b

Looking at a good 300se with a Great body and interior

Can one put a 617 and drive train into it ? Has anyone done it?

Car has great Palomino interior and Low miles 189,000

What do ya think ?
greazer2b

If I can put a 617 in a 380se body anyone can do it. I've spent much more time researching the details and rebuilding system which probably didn't need rebuilding than actually moving toward the primary goal.

I'll PM my contact information and help all I can.

ROLLGUY · #10 08-04-2019, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h3ffe

You can do a gas to diesel fuel type swap on your title in CA.

Check out ROLLGUY's 300SLD, an R107 380SL that board member mach4 converted to a 617A. Rich (ROLLGUY) calls it a 300SLD now, which is awesome!

The donor engine must be from the same model year or newer as the recipient chassis, and all applicable smog and emissions equipment must be present.

Depending on where in CA you attempt to perform the fuel type swap, you may have to have the vehicle inspected by a Smog Referee for compliance.
Usually you just have to show it to a DMV agent who can confirm, "Yup, that looks and smells like a diesel."

With no inspections in Iowa, you are free to do as you please.

However, my experience with engine swaps is that if the vehicle was available optioned the way you want it, you're better off buying a good one spec'd the way you want it. A creampuff factory 300SD will be better screwed together, hold value better for not being a Frankenstein, and give you less heartache (no costly build process).

Well said, thank you.....Rich

dude99 · #11 08-05-2019, 12:57 AM

The 300SD I had previously was a 380SE conversion done by the previous owner who was a Mercedes mechanic.

Don’t listed to those that will tell you that it won’t be worth anything. I sold it for more than I had bought it for, and paid the and as I would have for a 300SD in the same condition.

greazer2b · #12 08-05-2019, 05:56 AM

I appreciate everyone’s comments and I always respect the experience on the forum, and I sense the cautions here

Here is why I asked; I have a 85sd with 156,000 miles that runs great. I picked it up from fellow enthusiast who unfortunately let it sit 7 yrs so I have been getting it back on its feet slowing the past 2 yrs.
Now it has a very good interior and great engine and driveline, but some rust and needs paint but it still shows good but will need patch work and good paint job. Also will need evap replacement and it has a short that I’m tracking down.

So along comes this 300se and it has a fantastic body and interior with all wood in place no cracks etc,etc,
I get to thinking (maybe that’s my mistake) here but why couldn’t a guy put a 300sd into a 300se ?
greazer2b

ROLLGUY · #13 08-05-2019, 07:58 AM

Since you have the complete donor car, I would say DO IT! That would be one of the easiest engine swaps that could be done. However, that is only if you leave the gas wire harness in place, and only add the glow plug wiring and vacuum shutoff valve. If you move over the complete wire harness (probably the best thing to do), the job will get more challenging. It is doable though. This will require the removal of both dashes.

Clemson88 · #14 08-05-2019, 02:04 PM

I trying to remember here instead of searching through my notes but it seems the big wiring challenges were the cruse control and glow harness. I wired the glow light to the D plug which goes on the gauge cluster.

I struggled with the wiring because I found reading electrical drawings for automobiles challenging. It wasn't so much that I couldn't understand them but I didn't want to do things twice and had little confidence in the practical application of my ability.

I drew a book full of sketches to check being myself. Before I removed a wire I knew exactly where it started, what it did and where I would route it. I cut the huge rubber boot off the firewall and carefully removed the glow harness from the donor car.

To get it though that big firewall boot on the project car I tapered the end of a 2.5' piece of PVC pipe and beveled the sharp edges so it wouldn't damage the existing wire when I pushed it through the boot. I ran a piece of carpenter's string though it and taped the string to the end I tapered then used the string as a fish tape. I wrapped the fittings on the glow harness with all them turned back toward the engine compartment so they would travel through the pipe with ease.

That cruise wiring it another issue since the gas engine had the cruise control on the right side and the diesel has it on the left. I found it just as challenging and the diesel heat pickup sensor on the diesel had to be wired to the climate control to make it work too. I was all over the underside of that dash.