With Thanksgiving around the corner, I need to fix my rear shocks before I go any considerable distance. The RH rear has puked all its oil, and at certain speeds, the tire will bounce like a basketball, so I haven't been putting that many miles on the old girl recently.

Latest trip to PnP, they crushed all the 123s I had been yanking spares from that had been in the park for only a few months (but oddly still have crap GM and toyota cars with two and three year old dates on them)... but I did find an early 126 with looking new (read: clean) Bilsteins. They look similar, and the suspension setup is like the 123, ala shock in spring.

Do the 123 and (early) 126 shocks swap?

Are there any other MBZ vehicles that I am not considering that would have compatible bits? My selection is few, the one 82 126, and several 88-92 124's. I know the 124 and later 126 all use a different kind of suspension setup, but I didnt peek too much about how they mount...as to if they'd swap or not.

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1985 MBZ 300D (DD, 240k, unmuffled hellion!)
1982 MBZ 300D (372k, retired for parts)
1981 MBZ 300D (575k, parts pig)

For 123 and 126, front are different, rear are the same.

Sixto
87 300D

They do swap. They do fit. But they are different.

I have a pair on my W123. I think the travel length is bit different, but I cannot speak for the stiffness.

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Thanks to both of yall. Fitment is the primary concern. I plan on swinging by PnP possibly tomorrow to pilfer both of the shocks, and get them installed Wednesday.

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1985 MBZ 300D (DD, 240k, unmuffled hellion!)
1982 MBZ 300D (372k, retired for parts)
1981 MBZ 300D (575k, parts pig)

At least for rear the Bilstein replacement part number is the same. OE shocks might be different.

Sixto
87 300D

I can only speak for the front set. The pair I have are Billstein.

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As far as I can tell, all t he aftermarket brands show the same part number for w123 and w126 rear (I was recently shopping for rear shocks).

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22