If the engine/4spd switch goes down w/ no problems, you could always pull the decals, bumpers, moldings, etc., sand it down, then have Maaco spray it for cheap... Looks like a pretty straight body underneath the (admittedly God-awful) paint that's on there now. Looks like the 240D might have some of the door moldings, hood, etc. you would need to pull off a complete car. At any rate, looks like a fun project...personally, I like the idea of going from 5-cyl. to 4-cyl.--but I like wierd things, I guess.

Good luck, Jimmy!

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Christopher
'06 Mercedes E350 station wagon (silver/black)
'85 Mercedes 300D (black pearl/palomino)
'85 Mercedes 300SD (smoke silver/burgundy)
'79 Cadillac Sedan DeVille

'05 Toyota Camry (because always running is nice)

'85 Mercedes 300D sold back to orig. owner 8-1-06
'84 Volvo 264GL Diesel, owned 2000-2013

It is a straight body, and I think I have the mouldings in the garage, but can use the 240's where needed. If I ever get there, cheap Maaco would be the plan. I only have 2 areas of rust. Tree debris got around trunk seam, and rusted drivers side rim, and it has about the worst battery tray rust imaginable. No body rot in the least. Seating surfaces are great, and you just don't see black interior in these things much. Weird.........
The electrical issues make me the most nervous, but there is little pressure with a project such as this.
Heck, if I get it running/driving then I have to come up with a name. It's always been "The Parts Car"......
Believe it or not, I drove SCAR (the wrecked 240) up and down the road a few times, and there is nothing wrong with a little 240D. Especially for those of us that have left our youth far behind......

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Worse than this?!? I'm up in the air about even repairing it-- The car is worth 2x more as parts than it is in one piece..

Anyone have a SawzAll and a donor car?

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http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Untitled-1.jpg

I don't really think either one of us is doing real well in the battery tray department...... btw, that is my jack you can see through the battery tray. Not a good sign....

Had a very relaxing day out in the driveway this afternoon. Had to go install a fan control module in my sainted mother's car this morning, so didn't start on "un-named" car until early afternoon.
Secured the front on jack stands, with back ups of course. Makes me feel better.
There was no real way to go spray off car first as it is a 'dragger', but it wasn't too terrible. Had to clear a lot of spider webs, though.
Got the radiator drained. Drained the tranny. Weird not to have a real drain plug. It is messy draining from the dipstick banjo, but that is the only way. Removed both tranny lines to radiator also. Then I pulled radiator and condenser. Removed exhaust system. Nice when it comes out all in one piece. I thought those bolts/nuts were gonna give me trouble, but no worries....
Car isn't in quite as good a shape as I had hoped. A few of the boots to some of the front end components were torn, but there wasn't any slop I could find. We'll see, if it's ever drivable.
Some kind of nasty pea green soup came out of the radiator. Yuk!
Seems like I did more, but with at least a hundred trips out from under the car, then back under the car, then out from under the car, yada yada yada........
Loosened the driveshaft bolts to the rear end, but have to research how that whole thing comes apart. The center carrier doesn't look like much. The flex disk bolts on the tranny side look like they are fairly hard to get to. I will study that one tonight.
Mosquitoes finally chased me inside.... Cleaned up my work area and called it a day. Beautiful day, almost perfect! High was in low 80's I believe.
No hurry.........

BTW, when removing the drive shaft, do I remove flex plates with shaft, or undo other bolts and just remove the shaft, leaving flex plates mounted. And, how does it come apart at the center carrier bearing?

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I am also one who likes things a bit different. I have a fairly nice 83' 240D with 293K on the clock. I am thinking of overhauling the engine and putting it back together with turbo diesel parts, using the intake and exhaust manifolds and turbo setup from a 220D, swapping the auto tranny for a Getrag 5-speed and bumping the diff gear to 346. Why? because it is different. Also I had the opportunity to drive a 220D in Europe for a while and I was impressed. Good power and great fuel mileage. (Or should I say kilometerage)

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83 W123 240D
76 300D, "Lil Yellow Car"
1978 Cessna 172N 180 HP Mod

"If life ain't fun, I'm not interested"

The important things are those that you learn after you know it all.
Chip Foose

Build a better mousetrap and you will REALLY infuriate corporate america.

Um, come again?

There was never a turbo 220D. Maybe you are thinking of something like a C220 CDI?

one reason the euro cars might be quicker is that they are probably 200# or so lighter. top speed should be the same, but acceleration would be noticably quicker.

also i am wondering what idea you are chasing with using the turbo parts in your engine? without a turbo they will just add reciprocating weight and bog the engine down, i think.

also the 220 intakes, if off a 115, may be smaller and thus restrict the hp on your engine.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I wasted more time on that stupid drive shaft today. Probably kept me from getting the engine out today..... Uhm, that 46mm nut is an important detail...... Luckily it wasn't on too tight, as all I had that size were my large channel locks. I have got to get a 46mm wrench. I have the socket, but that size keeps coming up from time to time.
The flex disks also were very difficult to pry off. The lip of the insert part were stuck, and it was suprisingly hard to get them unstuck. They are also toast......
Got the tranny mount and plate removed, along with shifter linkage, speedo cable and emergency brake pieces. Motor mount bolts also came out fairly easily, and looked to be in good shape for re-use. Car only has an engine shock on the passenger side, and I got the top nut and bumper off, but couldn't get it loose at the bottom. I'll look at it when motor is out. Almost forgot that oil pressure too.
Had to unhook some AC lines to compressor, and you can see what is left of the battery tray. Once again, the mosquitoes chased me into the house.....
Now it will probably be dark when I get home from work this week. Well, no rush. I have to do all of this to the 240 also......

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

When I did it I pulled the forward section of the driveshaft first. You must loosen the clamping nut (a VERY large nut) and disconnect the front of the shaft from the engine. To get at the bolts on the flex disk you will have to jack one rear wheel off of the ground, put the car in neutral and release the parking brake. Then you will be able to rotate the drive shaft to access all of the bolts. Don't forget to mark the shaft before you separate the two halves. It may make be easier to remove the front part of the shaft if you have removed the bolts form the carrier bearing.

Once the front is off and the carrier bearing is unbolted from the car removing the rear part of the driveshaft is as simple as unbolting it from the rear end. Shouldn't matter if you leave the flex disks with the drive shaft or the tranny/rear end.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

This is worse. It's my 380SE lol

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I have a 240/300 conversion just as you describe. I call it a 270. I bought it that way, knowing what it is; don't know who did the conversion, but it is very well done. It still has the original rear, and I guess its acceleration is reduced, but with a 240d, who can really tell? Actually the difference is only about 6%, a side benefit is it cruises at a lower engine speed and gets a tad better mileage.