82 240D 4 spd manual - to part or not to part?
 

I have an 82 240D with a 4 spd manual tranny I bought last year (shows 174k but odo not working). The car was shipped from TN and died before I got it home, it has been in the garage since. I adjusted the valves, changed the oil, new fuel lines, filters, pulled the fuel tank and cleaned it out, etc. I also discovered the body and brakes were crap. Lots of bondo and rust. It was obvious the car had sat for a long time. And it turns out the reason it quit was lack of fuel, yeah, the gauge didn't work, dah...

I pulled it out of the garage today and got it running. It ran rough at first and got better, except for the vibration. The engine didn't seem to be vibrating as much as the body. Sitting in the car reminded me of the vibration you get when you're taking off in a Huey, just before leaving ground effect. I'm guessing the mounts are shot. Any other ideas?
Here's the deal: I got robbed when I bought this car. I easily paid twice what it was worth - my ebay lesson, you might say ( I only say I was robbed because of the description given by the seller). However, I would like to recover as much as I can, or just keep the car to feed my 79 240D.

Question is should I part it out, or sell it whole. The interior is good, dash has one small crack, headliner, door panels are good and seats are well worn but good. I ran a can of Diesel Purge though it today and it seems to be running decent. It was shifting well when I drove it last year. There's very little oil on the underside. It has manual windows and sun roof. Hood and trunk lid have some rust as do the doors, but they're all straight.
I have pulled a couple of things off it, blower motor and hood release cable.

I'm willing to part it out, the problem is it has to be gone by early September.

What might the engine/tranny with all the goodies that go with the 4 speed be worth. I know that's a loaded question...

Any interest/feedback is appreciated, happy to email photos. I'm in S California.

sell it whole and be honest in your description. Give someone else a chance on restoring it. These things are getting hard to find and I hate to see anymore fall by the wayside

Problem is, it's not worth restoring. The body is shot, lots of bondo. I thought of pulling the engine and tranny and putting them in a coup, I just don't have the time.

man, if you have another one and a place to keep it you should keep it. it sounds like a <$500 car if you sell it and describe it right and, every time you have to lay out $$ for a part you'll kick yourself.
hint: you might want to ignore my advice based on my sig pic!

I have four now, and plan to move soon. I agree, theres a lot of stuff I could use on my 79 240, so I may tear it apart and keep what I can.

I may be interested in the engine if you want to sell it.

I'll let you know, I have to make a decision soon.

I am interested in the hood hinges