1981 300TD "The Blue Pill"

[Engine_Ear]

So first off, this car has some history. I'm the 2nd owner, the first was my Grandfather. He brought it new in 1981, stuffed bales of hay in the back, accidentally drove it through a fence, and drove it until he died of a stroke in 2006. A couple of years later, my Step-dad was trying to get Grandpa's old pickup started (1969 Chevy 2wd pickup with a Detroit 453/Allison...he was...interesting.) Bob (my Dad) discovered that the ignition circuit was wonky, so he decided to short the starter...from under the truck. Well, the Allison was in reverse, the Detroit had some pent up frustration, and Bob got a life flight to San Antonio. The point is that the truck was describing a perfect arc, which ended at the driver's fender of a China Blue 300TD. Had this rather nice FrankenChevy stopper not been present, the circle would have ended with Bob not needing a helicopter ride.

I inherited the car and put it back together, drove it to Seattle, and promptly parked in the back of a Taurus on Denny hill after the brakes **** the bed. Brakes, body shop, move to Orcas Island. I joined the fire department up there, and drove the wagon as POV on calls. In the summer, I used it as my camper for Wildland firefighting.

Now I'm married, live on a farm, and just got medically retired from my most recent career as an Engineer on ships. Short on money, long on time. While I'd been sailing, the wagon got dragged out of the woods and run a bit every couple of years, and needs some love. Current issues include a blown heater core (last minute, fortunately), stuck rear caliper, mouse eaten wiring, failed SLS accumulators, and anything I don't know about, yet.

This car has earned a fun future. It's got around 120K on the clock, and is going to become a fun rig, scratches and bent plate holder included.

As to the Blue Pill moniker, my wife has a bone stock, 06 TDI Beetle...the Red Pill.

Hope you enjoy!

[Dmitry at Pelican Parts]

Thanks for sharing - looking forward to following this resto thread. Keep the progress photos coming! I've included a link to our DIY tech articles for this model in case you need to troubleshoot an issue or diagrams on repairs. Best of luck!

W123 300TD Technical Articles


-Dmitry

[Engine_Ear]

Thank you! Lots of work ahead. Happy wrenching!