Does anyone have a source for a good used underbody belly pan for a 1987 300TD.....or any w124 diesel. I understand it does help in reducing engine noise heard from the outside. Also, I remember someone having metal ones.... maybe a euro? The ones I have seen have all been broken.

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1987 300TD 147,000 miles- Palomino leather interior, 1995 facelift and body cladding, E350 wheels, Rebuilt suspension and sport springs, rebuilt turbo, New Monarch injection pump and injectors....and the list goes on and on...

I do believe the engine panel is the same for all W124's. same as the transmission belly pan. Sans the cabrio's since they did not come with one due to the extra chasis bracing.

They are hard to find in the yards because they are either

1) lost from previous owner
2) ripped off from when its in the yard
3) supposedly thrown out but are actually in someones garage, but thats usually w126 specific -chortle-

call your trusty parts person. I think they are not that expensive

Oh My!

Last time I checked the larger under tranny section was $400+!

oh, well.. good luck! I hunted for a year trying to find a set for a W126...

try mercedes specific salvage yards

I've noticed no change in sound with and without the panels, inside or outside my '87 300D Turbo (W124, OM603). Interesting, since the factory calls them "sound-deadening panels" or words to that effect. They should help the coefficient of drag and they do catch oil drips and dropped tools. Yes, they are very expensive new and hard to find used. My 124 came with both of its panels but the 210 was missing the first (of three) and it was $166 to replace it.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

I'd keep an eye open in the parts section of our website..there are a few sellers who often are either parting out a 300D or know of some in junkyards. Usually they don't list the panels but might have them..I got mine from there. I can't tell for sure how much of a sound difference they make, although it is nice for catching oil leaks

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Dan
2005 E320 CDI - 246k
1987 300SDL TD05-16g, Herlevi pump, Elbe manifold, 2.47 LSD - 213k
Past: 1987 300D - 264k

They do help a bit with sound, mostly with airflow and proper cooling.

The gas and diesel panels are different.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Dont want to hijack the thread. But can anyone show some pics? I noticed no panels on my 126. Could they be fabricated? I have access to both a machine shop and metal fab place.

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

Good suggestion! It would be great to catch any oil leaks, but would also be good to know if I have any and where they are coming from too. I guess out of sight, out of mind

As far as noise reduction, couldn't some of the hood padding (with the bumps) be put on there to deaden the noise? Again, assuming there are no leaks....or at least on the perimeters? It's not like they are that loud, but I've noticed heads turning as you enter a parking lots and such. I perfer to be more stealthy.......I guess I would need a Prius to do that

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1987 300TD 147,000 miles- Palomino leather interior, 1995 facelift and body cladding, E350 wheels, Rebuilt suspension and sport springs, rebuilt turbo, New Monarch injection pump and injectors....and the list goes on and on...

... but that's the only reason people buy the Prius, to be noticed.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

To my knowledge,the SDL was the only W126 that got the underbody panels.

the older W126's did not. Underbody panels was more of a W124 thing

The proper plastic or fiber replacement pans (not sure what they're made of), are expensive. $225 or something.

I was lucky, a Benz repair place had one, almost new, for $10. I learned that when you take that off, have something under it to support the weight, otherwise the areas where the screws go in will ultimately bend over and over, and tear.

It really won't help much with sound, but more importantly, it will keep water off of your electrical components during rain storms!

Y'all's engine compartments must be missing the side panels the noise panel clips into or something. My car is significantly quieter with the panel in place.

The engine panel is plastic, the trans panel is fiberglass.

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RIP:
2011 E350 BlueTEC, Schwartz 81k (totaled by uninsured drunk driver)
1964 Unimog 404.1 (wrongfully towed by the city)
1994 E320, Brilliantsilber 208k (transmission shuffled off after sudden catastrophic fluid loss)
1982 300D, Silberblau under a blue repaint 256k (sold for parts)
1995 E320 Polarweiss, 131k (sold for parts)
1995 E300D Polarweiss, 287k (totaled by drunk driver)

if anything I can make a mold of my w124 underbody panel out of fiberglass and go and make a new one out of fiberglass or if the vacuform machine at work is strong enough.. plastic.

oo or carbon fiber..

If you could duplicate those under panels cost effectively you could probably make a buck or two. Plus help out some of us missing either one or both.
I have engine cover panel but not tranny panel......

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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