Much of my guidance for this project came from @Idahobenz 's thread previously referenced. After his project was a success, he maintained his own website dedicated to how he did it. The website is no longer online officially, but it is mostly archived at the Wayback Machine here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160712214847/http://www.sldiesel.com/
For detailed how-tos related to the R107 series of cars, I rely heavily on the YouTube channel "Mike's Mercs and other cars" found here:
https://www.youtube.com/@MikesMercsandothercars
Thanks to Mike's excellent videos, I have new UK words in my vocabulary like "knackered" and "tickety-boo".
Another important resource has been the Facebook group "OM617/OM6XX Swaps".
Now, on with it:
To get started, I started with the fuel system modifications as described by Idahobenz at the old website:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160731234425/http://www.sldiesel.com/hook-up/fuel
The tank was empty, so I did not have to use the fuel pump to empty it.
I removed the fuel pump, resonator, fuel filter, and shield, then used a 3/4" crows foot on a long extension to unscrew the fuel down pipe (wrong name) from the strainer.
The strainer must be replaced with a diesel model. The picture illustrates how much larger the mesh for the diesel strainer is, and how the gas strainer might leave one stranded if used with diesel. But there's almost no point trying get the strainer out from the bottom with the tank still installed. Even though a 1 13/16" socket fits it just fine, chances are EXCELLENT that it is off center of the hole such that there is no clearance to get the socket on. It really IS better to just take the tank out.
Once out, an impact wrench and the 1 13/16" socket made quick work of removing the strainer.
I used a bore scope to inspect the inside of the tank and found the tank and swirl pot to apparently be in good condition.
The vapor tank on top serves no purpose so I removed it, and rerouted the short hoses on the tank to close the vapor tank ports off.
The center port on top, I repurposed into a vent, and ran it below the car using a hard plastic tube that was already there. I disconnected this tube and attached a MB primary fuel filter that I modified. The purpose of this is to allow air to pass in and out, but to make it difficult for a mud dauber or other pest to clog it up.
I learned that the tank is supposed to have foam strips underneath for some purpose. I could not find these so fabbed some from window seal and backer rod.
I also learned that the tank mounting points are supposed to have insulating rubber washers. I improvised these with some 1/8" thick cork gasket material I had on hand.
While the tank was out, I replaced drain and pass through gaskets. I also replaced the fuel filler neck gasket with a new MB original that was supple.
I removed the nozzle restrictor from the filler neck. Unfortunately, mine was not plastic and easy to drill out, but rather steel and spot welded in place! THE FOLLOWING IS WHAT I DID BUT CANNOT RECOMMEND ANYONE DO IT BECAUSE SOMETIMES DOING WHAT DO IS IDIOTIC: I connected shop vac to the fuel outlet at the bottom of the tank (where the new strainer is not yet installed) and ran it on vacuum. This pulled the remaining fumes out, and kept any new fumes away from the stupid on the other end. I then attached a wire to the restrictor plate so it did not fall into the tank, and proceeded to drill out the spot welds. Once out, I cleaned the area on both sides, and repaired the holes with JBWeld SteelStik, sanded, and painted.
Someday, I might want to replace the strainer without pulling the tank, so I enlarged the hole so it would no longer interfere with a socket.
Once the tank was back in, I improvised a direct connection from the strainer to the fuel line.
In the fuel fill area, behind the door, I discovered the drain hole was clogged, so I reamed and flushed it out. This must have been clogged a while because there was a tiny rust hole where water would have pooled with a clogged drain. This hole would have dripped fuel into the trunk right next to the battery! I repaired this with SteelStik and painted over it.