Decisions on a 300D...
 

I guess I should introduce myself first. First, you can call me Will of you want to instead of the username. I'm a Senior in college majoring in math just for a general degree; I've always loved things mechanical, however, and may end up doing some kind of automotive work when I graduate.
I was originally going to fix my Dad's original but worn out after something like 350,000 miles, 300D (we don't know exactly how many miles it has, the odometer broke at about 268K long before it finally quit). I ended up buyin my Fairlane because of the complexity and expensive parts associated with repairing a Mercedes diesel. The good on this car is that it is a relatively rust-free car (some floorpan rust and driver's fender are the only issues there), the body is 95% straight with just a few dings here and there. To my knowledge it has never been in a major collision although it was hit in the driver's door and repaired and also had to have the frame aligned a couple years after we got it. All of the glass and trim is intact with all but a few pieces in good condition. Basically, although the interior needs to be redone and it needs paint and some bodywork, I think the car is sound and in easily-restorable condition. The suspension and brakes probably need to be gone through, but there are no missing or broken pieces.

The area where I am really wondering what to do in is the engine. After it quit it was half rebuilt with the head reconditioned and a remanufactured injector pump was installed. It failed to run after that, and I now think it may have been because the injector pump and possibly cam timing was significantly off. What I want is a turbo. I know you can't make a five cylinder diesel put out huge amounts of power, but I'd want something more reasonable than the original 80 or so horsepower; maybe something like 130. I would probably be looking for a turbodiesel motor to swap in and probably modify (a little more boost and possibly intercooling) except that the current motor has something like $1200 worth of parts in it. Is it possible to properly turbocharge the original motor or am I looking at finding a different motor? I would like to use what I have and do whatever modifications and custom work I have to, but if that's not possible or not worth the trouble then I'm willing to accept that. I do want to get this car (which my Dad bought in '86) back on the road, but I would like more power and am willing to take the time to do things right.

UNLESS.. You have significant emotional attachment to your pops old 300D. I'd find another one.

These cars are, for what they are, a dime a dozen. There a bunch of later 300D's with the turbo diesel out there, and many in better shape than you describe. What you want is zero, zero rust, period, because there is alwasy more than you can see, and it will always eat you alive trying to repair it.

And you really do not want to start putting money into a car that has had an accident, especially if it needed to be on a frame machine. No how, no way. This is a bad, bad idea when these car's are so plentiful.

And it's doubtful the injection pump was worn out, slightly out of calibration, but probibly not worn out, they last almost forever unless you routinly run them out of fuel or on the wrong fuel that does not lubricate them suffeciently.

It probibly was assembled and timed wrong, you might have noticed that not just everyone can, or should, work on these things.


That's my advice, make it a parts car and find one that runs and is rust free to put your money and work into. Unless your really, really attached to your fathers old ride.

I second that motion.

I haven't done a thurough inspection of the undercarriage, but I do know the cause of the rust problems mentioned. The floorpan rust is nothing more than minor 'boot rust,' same as in my Fairlane and most other older cars around here that have been driven much in the winter. The rust on the fender is because of a missing fender liner that allowed dirt and gravel to get down in the bottom of the fender and rust it out; it's a couple inches worth. Other than that the car is virtually rust-free. The frame alignment was done probably 100,000 before the car stopped running and we never had an trouble with bad alignment since. The accident I mentioned caused minor cosmetic damage, there was no structural damage from that. I'm not an autobody expert, but given what I do know about this car, I don't think it has any issues with body or frame integrety. I have some idea of it's needs and problems, and they aren't anything outlandish, in my opinon.
As far as the work that was done on it, it was done by someone who I feel is a pretty good mechanic generally, but he's not a diesel mechanic and ours was probably the only Mercedes he's ever worked on. So, thanks to him we have a rebuilt head and injector pump that I would like to put to use. I guess that's my main question, can I use any of the parts I have to build a good turbodiesel, or should I be looking into getting what I can out of them and buying an original TD motor.
The attachment thing is also an issue. It's the first car I remember us having. Quite simply, I want to fix this car, not just a car I pick up somewhere, and I think it is a reasonably good candidate. It may cost me a little more, but then it's here and I have some idea of what I have. I guess I am thinking is that I want to fix up our Mercedes, not just a Mercedes. So that, I guess is that.

I guess I'll bump this up one last time.
I took a gander under the car as best I could when I got home today. The fender mentioned might as well be replaced, but the undercarriage is almost spotless, just a little surface rust here and there. Of course I still need to get it up in the air to completely check it out, but I don't think I'll find anything; it is a Montana car.

I appreciate the advice and I understand the concerns as to whether the car is worth restoring. This probably wouldn't be the car you'd hope to find if, for some reason, you decided you specifically wanted to restore one. But again, I feel that it's not a bad choice. There are no fatal defects to my knowledge, and it is a well-optioned car. If I were to abandon the idea of fixing up this car, that would probably mean abandoning the idea of fixing up any Mercedes unless I came across a good deal (maybe I'll take an S series with a bad motor and drop a Ford 460 in it :D).

So, I'll probably pull it in the garage this summer. I might see If I can get it running as is, I think there's a chance. If I don't do that, or if it won't run with the timing set properly, then I'll probably pull the motor and start tearing it down. I'll see what develops and learn what I can on the way.

First of all before needlessly tearing into the car, get yourself a good shop manual. More than likely the injection pump timing is off with the worst case scenario being that the valve timing was incorrectly set and then you may have bent valves or it can be something as simple as air in the injection system. It can bled very simply by just turning the round knob next to the injection pump to unscrew it and then just pump it enough times to see that no more bubbles form in the clear filter.
Other than that how does the car crank over?

I do have the Haynes manual for the car, which I know isn't generally as good as the shop manual. The engine cranked just fine the last time anyone tried it. I fiddled with the primer pump and a few other little things and tried dozens of times to get it to start. I don't think it ever even firing, but it's been probably six years. There was a guy who claimed to know somehting about Mercedes diesels who took a look at it and he said there's diesel in the oil, probably from cranking it over with the IP dropping diesel down the clyinder at the wrong time. My gut feeling is that the car would run with the timing set right unless the compression is nearly flat-out gone. So I suppose the most immediate question is what is the best way to set the timing. Do I have to get a new chain and take apart the old one, as described in the Haynes, or is there an easier way (if it's just the pump timing)? The one last concern is that the diesel fuel in it is somwhere around ten years old :eek: I know I probably need to drop the tank, have it flushed, and then flush the fuel lines.
I can't say there's much point in trying to drive it, it's worn to the point where it would need to be rebuilt if you wanted to be sure it would start in the morning. But it can't hurt, and it would be a chance to see how the transmission, vacuum system, and other things are working.

Do not even think of trying to turbocharge a normally-aspirated diesel engine. An MB turbo diesel engine has significant differences from a NA diesel. The pistons are lubricated and cooled from below by oil jets in the crankcase, and the injection pump has an ALDA that senses boost pressure from the turbo. However, I think some here have had success in adding an intercooler to an existing turbo, although I cannot speak to the performance gains, if any.

MT:

The main question for me is, how did you get a '64 Fairlane to 180,000 miles?

This model was my first car, with the 2 bbl. 289 V8, 3 spd. auto. It was engineered and manufactured in the fine Ford tradition of the time, meaning it suffered from copious rust, sagging suspension, bad front end and alternately black and blue exhaust smoke. It refused to start in cold weather, and handled terribly.

To its credit, it was geared low enough that it provided impressive acceleration, which was enough to impress a first-time buyer. Also, the low cost was a factor, and it was relatively easy to maintain or repair.

What model is yours?

Tom

Keep it
 

I would just keep your Dad's car and rebuild it. I think some day you would wish that you still had it.. Priceless

CloudNine
I bought the car about three years ago. It's a 2dr Sedan, three speed with a colomn shift; originally it was a 260 car, but when I got it, it had a '69 302 in it. It was pulled out of the field where it had been sitting for almost eight years and had not been run in that time. Literally all I did to get it running was to put a battery and gas in, jimmy the ignition (the guy I'd bought it from had lost the key), and it was running. I put over 15,000 miles on that motor, which was completely original and always started down to 0F, although it did burn oil pretty bad (and the only time I ever saw any smoke was occasionally when I had it floored). I have since swapped that motor for a rebuilt motor of the same year that's been hopped up: hyperutectic pistons, balalnced bottom end, moderately ported heads, high-lift cam, hi-flow exhaust and a four barrel intake and carburetor. The car has only let me down twice in the 23,000 miles I've put on it: A wheel bearing and a fuel pump. As far as the original milagle, the odometer, which was working, read 64,000 when I got it. Probably I have a somewhat higher opinion of Ford powertrains, but it'd take a real idiot to have only 64,000 miles and be into his second motor. Plus the steering box was shot, and you'd really have to be unlucky to have one of them go that quick unless you were droping sand in it. Remember that the small block Ford was new in '62, and there were several engineering changes that took place over the next couple years. We've had to full-size vans, both with 351s, the first we put over 250K on with the original transmission and one rebuild on the motor (burned valve, not surprising on a smog motor), the second is at 168K and counting on the original powertrain. Anyway, I'm rattling on here. Suffice to say that the Fairlane, while it's still pretty rough, drives great (poly bushings, KYB gas shocks, a tight replacement steering box and a new centerlink breathed new life into it). I have had a few alignment problems, but it drives straight and has been real easy on tires since I finally cranked some extra toe-in on it. It's my first car (I'm only 20 if you hadn't guessed), and I've got big plans for it. These cars are tempermental sometimes, but with the right updates you can iron out a lot of that. It's kind of nice, especially in modern days, to be able to fix most problems with a couple wrenches and screwdrivers.

Zoonhollis
I suspected there were some differences, but I wasn't sure what they were. I guess the question, then, is could I possibly use the head I have, and are the IPs completely different or do they just differ in the boost control mechanism? I really want the performance of a turbo, but I'd like to use as much of what I have as possible.

GA-W123 Diesel
Thanks for the sentiment. Like I said, I probably am attached to this car. There are nicer and better models and better deals and will always be, but I doubt any of them would even mean as much to me as "our Mercedes."

You'll come out just as cheap out right buying a known good turbo motor, perhaps in a rusted out car, or a known good used from a salvage yard. Piecing it together isnt going to work real well, and your aware of what a proper rebuild can cost on these motors..