300TD project nearing completion - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

NoSparkNeeded · #1 07-27-2008, 07:02 PM

Oil&Filter.....................Changed.........................MBZ085693....Valvoline Diesel 15-40
Tank Strainer....................Cleaned.........................Laquer Thinner
Brake Fluid......................Changed.........................Gunk Dot3
SLS Fluid & Filter...............Changed.........................MB FEBI..MB OEM
Air Filter.......................Changed.........................WIX
Hoses All........................Changed.........................Meyle
A/C Compressor...................Changed.........................4 Seasons rebuilt...would buy new, looking back....stiff to turn initially..Now noisy for a "new" device,sheesh. Damn, ebay has brand new kits for 350.00. Won't buy rebuilt again.
Receiver/Drier...................Changed.........................Bher
Power Steering Fluid and Fliter..Changed.........................Meyle...ATF Valvoline MAX Life
Trans Fluid and Filter and Lines.Changed.........................On PO DOCS
New Front Calipers...............Changed.........................On PO DOCS
DieselGiant Master Vacuum KIt....Installed.......................68.00, turned out to be door lock actuator
Redline Fuel Catalyst............Poured..........................Ripped from wife's SD trunk
CLK Wheels and Tires.............Installed.......................500.00
Window Function..................Restored........................Cleaned, tightened ground connections and switches.
Wood Trim Piece..................Reglued.........................ShoeGoo. Drivers Side Zebrano Piece
Console Fitting..................Repaired........................Repaired broken off pin holders..JBWeld
Rust Damage......................Repaired........................Cutting with Dremel, TIG Welding Patches, Repair with "All Metal" Filler. Primed with catalyized primer. Painted with Glasurit 040.
Buckled Trim.....................Removed or Repaired.............Removed door trim..fabricated aluminum strip holders for others around hatch.
All Exterior Trim................Removed and Cleaned.............Touched up very small rust with POR-15..Kragen topcoat
Euro Headlights..................Fitted..........................Cheapo Knock Offs, Phillips Mains Normal H4, PIAA Chrystal IONS Fogs. Units really cheapo, but work with some fiddling.
Parking Brakes...................Adjusted........................4 clicks to.. cannot drive away
Valves and Cover Gasket..........Adjusted and Replaced...........Gasket Phil, Me Swearing
Throttle Linkage.................Adjusted and Lubed..............Spray White Grease, and Just try to find a metric mm ruler
Vacuum Door Lock Actuator........Replaced........................SIEMENS/VDO MBZ005435
Injection Nozzles................Replaced........................NOS Bosch Made in Germany
Differential Fluid...............Changed.........................Mobil 1 Synthetic Gear Lubricant LS 75W-90
Crossbars and RoofRack...........Lubed and Cleaned...............Tri-Flow...POR-15 on the scrape and small rust spots.
Door Locks.......................Lubed...........................Spray Graphite
All Hinges and Sliders...........Lubed...........................Tri=Flow...Spray White Lithium
Coolant..........................Flushed and Changed.............Flushed with water.Filled with MB juice.
DomeLight........................Repaired........................Power transistor replaced
Sunroof Deflector Springs........Replaced........................OEM
CV Boots.........................Checked.........................Couple more years
Flex Disks.......................Checked.........................No Cracks
All Suspension Rubber............Checked.........................A while longer
Rock Chips.......................Touched-Up......................POR plus top coat of touch-up
Brake Pads and Calipers..........Checked.........................OK, to next year or so
"BB" Mods........................Done............................Including EGR test B4
ALDA Bump........................Done............................NO Smoke
All Bumper Brackets..............Remove and Repair Rust..........POR-15..RustOleum top coat
Misc Scrape and POR Topcoat Engine Compartment...................POR-15..RustOleum top coat
Right Sill.......................Remove and Repair Minor Rust....POR-15..Urethane top coat
Carpets..........................Shampoo, Dyed the Pinkomino.....Dye Worked just OK, smells good inside though.
Skins............................Laundered in LG Steam washer....Smells good, just like dried on the line clothes.
Replacement Pin Striping.........This weekend....................24yo cute, married and pregnant, blonde bioligist woman that does stripes on the side.
To Go:
Nylon sunroof sliders............OEM.............................Cripes, looks like the damn sunroof has to come out to replace.
Install Stereo...................Model#:JVC-KDPDR80..............Geez Wowie, USB Memory Key Plug Port, pretty cool.
Lube Speedo Cable................Next weekend....................Tiny bit of "bounce" when starting off.
Then I'm cool for a while :>).
Getting 21mpg all town..26.3mpg combined on #2D, NO smoke, driving like I always do (spirited), with some A/C off and on.
Complaints:
Seat positioning, I cannot see most of the necessary dash info. I.E. Turn signal indicators, parking brake light, other stuff, blocked by steering wheel.
Steering wheel does not adjust.
Opening drivers window for air, can smell diesel exhaust on occasion. Sunroof works fine as an alternate.
Steering, even after careful adjustment has a tiny bit vauge center feel, as compared to my other car with urethane rack bushings.
Blowby. Would like to see less. This forum says no big deal.
I kinda wish it wasn't Black like my Sunday car. This WAS supposed to be the beater. Now it is not exactly. Now I have
to wash it regularly.
Conclusion:
All in all..a really good condition, WELL DOCUMENTED!! ,low mileage TD is worth a bunch imho, perhaps 7500.00-10,000.00 based on the T&M I have invested in this car. This is a solid car but FAR from collector quality, and few records.
I'm a newbie to the scene obviously. This forum gave me the knowlege to complete the project SO much faster
than any other car I've done. Just to "baseline" the maintenance, and fix the brokens on this car took a few bucks and many weeks.IF you had real evidence that all this stuff had been done over the years, that's worth a bit. I'm a sloppy record keeper, so buying
one of my vehicles doesn't fit the mold. I hate paper work, lose receipts, pink slips etc. But I have always sold stuff that lasted folks many years after I sold it.SO.. That just makes it harder to decide "what's it worth?". Given my new perspective, I would NOT choke on the right TD at 10,000.00.
I'd buy a new one in a box, to use, NOT to collect, for perhaps 30,000.00. A better value car could not be found.
Of course you never get back a money reward for your learning time on the vehicle that teaches you. I feel that this
is my last car project. With luck I've found a worthy TD that will stay with me until my relatives inherit it.
You can look at my gallery for the beginning pics.
Thanks to everyone on this forum.

Special thanks to;
Chad300tdt
pizzachef
vstech
cervan

They solved with their posts more than several problems that I encountered.

NoSparkNeeded · #2 07-27-2008, 07:23 PM

Here are the pics I meant to go with this post the first time.

Oracle12345 · #3 07-27-2008, 09:49 PM

not bad

charmalu · #4 07-27-2008, 10:45 PM

Great job, that is one beautiful car. I love those CLK wheels. some of the
best looking wheels.

Charlie

Johnson Chan · #5 07-28-2008, 01:39 AM

Its nice, I like it, do you have pics of the interior?

whunter · #6 07-28-2008, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSparkNeeded

Complaints:
Seat positioning, I cannot see most of the necessary dash info. I.E. Turn signal indicators, parking brake light, other stuff, blocked by steering wheel.
Steering wheel does not adjust.
Opening drivers window for air, can smell diesel exhaust on occasion. Sunroof works fine as an alternate.

The seat position issue could be a serious safety issue in the wrong conditions.

The diesel exhaust issue generally indicates:
#1. Exhaust system leak
#2. Bad hatch/door seals, and/or bad body grommets on bulkhead/floor pan

Have a great day.

MBeige · #7 07-28-2008, 03:20 AM

That's quite a bit of work but that's we all do for our addiction right?

Get the original amber corners back, the white/clear ones remove the "weight" from the front. Makes it too imbalanced, at least for me.

pizzachef · #8 07-28-2008, 06:53 PM

Nice looking car! You've certainly put a lot of love into it...it'll treat you well.
I'm glad I was able to help.
-Geoff

NoSparkNeeded · #9 07-28-2008, 07:06 PM

You can see a few more pics in my gallery. Please visit.
As to the clear corners, I felt the same way initially but
if you look at car as an "art" photo, the wheel color balances
out the clear corners imho. For a couple days I thought I would
put the ambers back. What stopped me was the "unique" factor.
It really makes the car look very different, and I like that. Not that
I run across another wagon everyday, but when I do, mine looks
pretty different. I even went to a garage sale a couple weeks ago,
and a young man practically slobbered on the car

. He was a VW
guy but knew a lot about TDs and commented about the euro lights,
the Crystal Ion driving lights and the clear corners, I'll go with "viva
le diff-e-rance" anyday.

JimmyL · #10 07-28-2008, 09:04 PM

What a nice wagon you have going there! I hate non-stock wheels as much as anybody on this forum, and I think your's look great! That is also a very impressive work list. I've had mine 3 years and haven't come close to half of all that. It can be an obsession.
Nothing but praise from me..........

*please, please, just don't refer to it as a 300TDT*

Admiral Ahani · #11 07-28-2008, 11:33 PM

If not TDT then offer an alternative?

I think the car looks fantastic! Nice work! IMHO you need to have it lowered at least 3 inches, maybe 4.

vstech · #12 07-29-2008, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Admiral Ahani

If not TDT then offer an alternative?

I think the car looks fantastic! Nice work! IMHO you need to have it lowered at least 3 inches, maybe 4.

it's simple. post the year of the vehicle, and the designation that is on the back of the trunk.
if it's a euro, state that, if it's a california model, state that.
we all know what years have the turbo.

JimmyL · #13 07-29-2008, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

it's simple. post the year of the vehicle, and the designation that is on the back of the trunk.
if it's a euro, state that, if it's a california model, state that.
we all know what years have the turbo.

My new hero!!

The badge in the back never lies. When did a turbo become an identifier?
Now, I have to go outside and lock my 300TDCCUIII......

JimmyL · #14 07-30-2008, 12:08 PM

Could I have some info on those wheels? CLK wheels? From what years? Are they all the same size/offset? What size tires are you using with them?
I really like those, and they don't look near as awkward as some of the other MB wheels used on these cars......