WTB 5 speed 123 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

C.Doner · #1 09-14-2012, 07:45 PM

i know its unobtanium, but I might as well try here.

Anyone got one. pleeeeease.

t walgamuth · #2 09-15-2012, 06:50 AM

I do.

Since I am buying Randy's five speed wagon I willl be selling my 240/300D sedan. I have built it up from several cars. It is a 1983 240D us spec car. It has a 300D euro motor from an 83 300d euro, a 307 rear end and a five speed from my 84 280e euro. It has the very rare 300d 38# fklywheel and is as smooth at idle as if it were a six cylinder. It has the correct speedomoter for the 307 diff so it is pretty accurate, within 2 to 3% checked on the highway markers.

It is ivory with palamino interior....tex. Carpets are here but they are a bit rough. There is a leak that drops onto the drivers floor mat.

The front and rear seals have been caulked with black silicone and I don't believe they leak.

The drivers seat was rebuilt with new springs and pads about 8 years ago and is in good condition but the lower tex has come loose from the frame and looks bad.

At the original 300 motor installation a new clutch disc and pressure plate was installed. The flywheel was surfaced.

Before the 300 motor was installed it was completely gone through by my favorite machinist. New bearings, rings, valve job with any weak or worn valves and springs replaced. New guides. New cam chain and guides and rebuilt oil pump. Since then we have driven it somewhere between 40 and 50,000 miles. The motor was balanced. It has the stock Euro 300 radiator and runs cool as it should.

The front end was gone through about that time as well and the car drives, steers and corners like new. the steering box is original to the chassis but has adjusted up and it steers like new.

It has Bilsten HD shocks which were installed at the time I made the conversion as well and they are still tip top.

The body looks pretty good but has some rust in the floor pan. The rear valance was replaced about five years ago due to crash damage. The left front fender was pushed in and pulled back out at that time as well and it is not perfect, though it is not noticable at 15'. The rear bumper is sagging due to the usual internal corrosion. The body has about 350,000 miles on it. The transmission has about 190,000 on it. It acts as if the second gear syncho is weak but I think it is from worn shift rod bushings. The shifter bushings were replaced about 8 years ago and are still pretty tight. All the windows except the drivers have been converted to manual. The drivers window works well.

All swapping has been done with Mercedes factory parts. the second motor shock mount was fabricated from angle by my Indie who did the motor and tranny swaps.

My #4 daughter has been driving it the last couple of years and reports that she has had a couple of tanks which returned 40 mpg. This would be driving on two lane roads with 55 mph speed limits and lots of little towns between Muncie and Lafayette. On the highway running 75 it will return 35 mpg consistantly. Around town it will do low to mid 20's without fail. We have a log book that documents all service and fuel purchases.

When we did the 300d conversion we had the ac working but it has since lost freon and does not blow cold. The radio does not work. It has a rubber ducky antenna.

The clutch hydraulics have been replaced, and the brakes are in good shape too. The wheels are the aluminum ones with the wheel covers. the tires are 195/70 michelin hydroedge about three or four years old with maybe 10 to 15K miles at most with new looking tread.

The exhaust system has a stock 300 na down pipe but from there back is from a 300 turbo. The middle section has had the muff replaced with straight pipe. The rear muff is stock 300 turbo and is solid. The middle section is rotten but still hanging together.

I was planning to do a body swap with "pancakes" the 82 240d I bought from Joe (Thedon) so I will offer it for the value of the mechanical parts....$3500. That is less than I paid to do the motor back when we did the conversion. You can fly in and drive it home. I won't say something won't go wrong but it is a car that I would hop into and drive to the west coast without worry.

It can provide the basis of a donor to a rust free car or if you wanted to drive it as is there is no reason you could not. With the carpets in place the floor still gives the impression of being good from the inside. The seams are showing rust from below though. The drivers seat is still solid so the rot has not progressed to that point yet. There is also some hail damage on the roof and hood but If I did not tell you you might easily have not noticed.

I won't promise I have listed every fault but I am pretty sure I have hit all the high points and have left nothing out that I can think of.

I'll take pictures and post all this in an ad next week probably.

Tom Walgamuth

twalgamuth@comcast.net

C.Doner · #3 09-15-2012, 01:44 PM

i dont know if i want to go back to NA, but that sounds nice.
Actually, I didnt realize I wanted the wagon 5 speed until you picked it up.
if you decide to part out let me know Ill take all the 5 speed stuff. oops on the title

t walgamuth · #4 09-15-2012, 02:33 PM

The euro na engine has significantly more poop than the us version. This car will run 100 mph with it. A turbo will just break 100 but probably will not run more than 103 0r 104.

Of course the na engine is less maintenance and does not blow headgaskets at 300K like the turbo is known to do.

bradford · #5 09-15-2012, 06:20 PM

doner,checked on ebay today there is a 84 euro 300d 5 speed for sale.

sixto · #6 09-16-2012, 12:50 AM

Or roll your own - http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-used-parts-sale-wanted/325527-w123-5-speed-trans-all-conversion-parts.html

Sixto
87 300D