I have located a parts car '81 240D manual for the transmission parts to swap into my '84 300DT. I want to make sure everything will swap into my car. My manual says the manual transmission was changed for '82 and says the '81 and older manual transmissions can not be removed from the car without taking the motor and tranny out as a unit. Mentions something about some bolts that can not be reached with the motor in the car. Is this true? I definitely don't plan on pulling my 300D motor out, so I need to know if I can install this manual 4-speed into my car without a huge headache!

Please tell me any other things I need to know about this swap. From what I've read on this site it should be a straight bolt in job. Should I use the 240D flywheel or the 300D flywheel? Is the rear automatic tranny bracket and mount in the right place for the manual transmission?

Thank you,

Greg Spring
'84 300D

Never done it so I hate to give advise. I have done the 240D switch back and forth both directions. I always worried about the fact that the crankshaft is a different number for the manual versus standard. We were able to do the conversions with no NOTICABLE problems.

The differences between shafts could have only to do with the area where the pilot bearing or torque convertor ride, but these engines are balanced with the flywheel included. The size/weight of the two (auto vrs manual) are massively different. It worries me that the balancing of a 5 cylinder could be so different that it would massively throw the thing out of balance. In other words: two different 4 cyl enegines are basically in the same state of balance, very different than a 5 cyl. You will of course need to use the mechanical transmission flywheel, which will be the 4 cyl.

I would think you should see how much the Euro 5 cyl flywheel would cost.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician