The wheel covers are plastic ,rather common over seas back then ,here they look rare.I beleive you can throw a set of 240d hubcaps and will fit for something different looking.

Whoa. Didn't expect that many replies.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Ya'll saying its a Euro-spec REALLY makes me wanna buy it and at the very least attempt to get it running. I have a thing for Euro-spec cars, especially old Mercedes. I'm pretty happy with my OM616, 275,000 miles and it seems strong. IDK, maybe I'll investigate it and become that guy with all the cars laying around.

Any big tips when looking at one of these w201's? I'll research the crap out of them like I did with my 240.

Having seen several, and owning one, I will say that the OM601 seems to have a less robust frame than the 123. I don't overload it, but the car I have runs well, is just not as peppy as a MT with a 2.5. I'd be interested in getting a 190D MT or a complete 2.5 engine+MT+drive shaft if the price was reasonable.

Its a much easier process than you think. the transmissions break down very easily, and you can make a simple jig to swap the bell housing bolt patterns between the 4 and 5 speeds, which weld pretty well.

Its a lot of work, but none of it impossible and fairly straight forward.

However having said that, its not worth it for a 240. Not enough power, can barely pull in 5th, even with a stock diff. If you had a turbo 617 300D id say go for it. Don't waste your time doing it for a 616.

Sounds great!


I am actually planning to drive to CA with a one-ton box truck to pick up a number of items I would want.


I am also looking for rear doors for wagons and a hatch back, and W123 front fenders for three cars. Plus drive trains in usable shape.


If there's a map of junkyards for southern CA (my friend lives in Redlands) that would be a good thing to get a hold of.

?Which is it?

its a much easier process than you think but still requires a lot of work. Happy?

You need to be able to build a jig, you need to be able to break down a gearbox(s), and you need to be able to weld aluminum or have a resource that can weld aluminum.

Having said that, its certainly not impossible and can be done fairly simply, therefore its an easier process than many think

IF one were to mate this trans up to the 616...

Would that provide an OVERDRIVE ?

or just divide up the available rpms by five instead of four ?

717.410 should be a .83 or thereabouts overdrive, but a 240 will barely be able to pull it. Now if he were to grab a diff out of a 116/115 with a high ratio, it might work a lot better

While I appreciate that the rpms are up there at highway speeds..
I am sure MB spent a lot of time making sure the power curve of the engine matched all the other parts of the car...
Often it is the lack of sound deadening which makes it annoying ....
My 240d with manual trans.... if driving at night and I am not watching the speedometer.... loves to run 76 mph.....

leathermang, yeah like JB3 said it should be an overdrive 'box. That's what I was going for.

Here's my original reasoning for wanting lower RPM;

These cars were built for the American market at a time the speed limit was 55 mph. Now I know that Mercedes engineers knew what they were doing, and I know that driving 65-70 won't destroy these engines, but my car's engine, and a lot of others, were built with the intention of running at 55 mph, which is 2623 rpm (26 inch tires). With a 5-spd 5th gear ratio of 0.83 at 65 mph, the rpm's are at 2573. So not only can I go 10 mph faster and get the same rpm, I actually get 50 rpm lower. That was my goal. Cruise at a lower rpm at the same speed. Now that some of ya'll are saying the 616 with its mighty 65(ish) hp wont pull the car at 2573 rpm down the highway, I will probably do something different. Also, if Mercedes never built a stock 240D om616 with a 5-spd, Euro or not, to me it would be a good idea not to try it. Like I said Mercedes knew what they were doing.

Someone suggested a diff swap, and I've looked into that.
The car has the 3.69, and 26 inch tires.

3.69 @65 - 3100 rpm
3.07 @65 - 2579 rpm

So if the car wont pull the 5-spd, it wouldn't pull a 3.07 diff in 4th gear. Right? Itd be the same engine speed at the same road speed, now you've only ruined your acceleration in 1st,2nd,3rd, and you'll be wearing out the clutch faster.

I guess the only other option is to get a 3.46 from a 300 n/a or a 3.58 from a gasser. Heres the respective rpms, same parameters;

2906 rpm
3007 rpm

Neither of these give me the drop in rpm that I'm looking for, so I guess there's really no way to get a 616 down to those low rpm's and it still be driveable.

I will just find a 617 turbo, which is what I want anyway (who doesn't :D) with its 3.07 diff, and pair it to my 4-spd. Sorry for the small book. Just my thoughts on it.

BTW, 26 inch tires from the standard 24 gave me a drop in rpm of about 250, and makes the car look a little better in my opinion. It also corrected my speedo!

the result of the .8 overdrive with a stock 616 will be endless shifting from 5th to 4th for anything but perfect flat or downhill situations. This was my experience. Every mild grade, or even gusts of wind would impact its ability to maintain speed in overdrive.

It was unfortunately far more annoying than pleasurable, though it was great to have that extra gear occasionally, it did not rock my world in the way I had hoped.

Now the .8 overdrive behind a 617 is a whole different ball of wax!

Check out the 2 PyP yards in Wilmington.

1232 Blinn Ave, Wilmington, CA 90744
and
1903 N Blinn Ave, Wilmington, CA 90744

These yards are YUGE! and well stocked.
https://i.imgur.com/B8txlPH.jpg

Row 52 can tell you whats in stock at any yard in SoCal before you go on a wild goose chase.
http://row52.com/

1. I am not sure MB actually changed their drive ratios due to the US speed limits...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States_by_jurisdiction

2. Because a diesel loves a turbo charger... you are likely to get better mileage with the 300 turbo...

3. Check out the threads made by people who have put manual trans behind a turbo 300. Look closely when they mention unwanted vibrations... and note that there are ' anti vibration' modifications to the manual trans...

and I suggest you use a 300 flywheel.... since you trust MB engineers... you will understand that they put a heavier flywheel on there for a reason.

Of course that brings up the question as to why MB did not put a manual trans behind the turbo 300... many people will claim they know that answer.. but I think it has to do with the fact that the turbo does not produce much power until a certain RPM.... and the automatic allows that ramp up without having to slip the clutch....

Vibration easily solved by match balancing the flywheel with the driven plate. Lot of people made this mistake. 28lb or 38lb, go with what you can get your hands on but mark that driven plate to the crank before you take it off! Impossible to fix that mistake once youve made it.

Turbo lag is pretty much a non issue. You learn to compensate for it in about 15 minutes.