To the point - Want to put a 5spd manual tranny in my 300SE. I am thinking the best way to go about this would be to purchase a beater/parts 300SE 5spd car from germany and ship it over. Put the transmission in my car, as well as other good parts, and then drive off into the sunset without one bruised knuckle.

Seriously.

The complicated part will be getting the car into the US. Obviously the only way this will be economically reasonable will be to skip the registration/conversion process. If the car is never to be driven, is one allowed to just skip that step? Like importing a refrigerator?

I have been to the gov sites but I don't see anything which would answer my questions.

I really believe this conversion would make for the perfect car (in my eyes) and also think it is do-able. May take a while though, but thats OK, I am a patient fellow.

Any advise mechanical or otherwise??

Mike

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'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Try to find out if German junkyards do the same thing as American junkyards - break the car down into component parts and then sell the parts ("part it out").

Then you could buy just a manual transmission (and maybe you need a different driveshaft) and the shipping should be a lot less - and no import worries.

Ken300D

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--------------------------
1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles

I'd search worldwide on Ebay for someone parting out the vehicle you need. But there are lots of 'breakers' in Europe that could supply you with parts. If you don't speak German, try the yards in the UK. Mercman is one used parts supplier in the UK but there are lots of others.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

The reason I am thinking I need the entire donor car, is that there will be so many tiny nuts and bolts, that to purchase parts would be to make the job take too long.

Although, perhaps someone has a list of what is needed? I know there are goys who have converted 300E's, so maybe I can start putting a list together.

I better start searching for german wrecking yards.

Mike

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Paul -

the 280se is an option. Keeping my eyes open. not sure if the tranny is the same as the one used in the later 300se's (and 260se's). Much research to do.

Mike

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

If you ship a chassis without a motor, you can avoid the custom's problem since in their view, the car is "parts" and not going to be titled. From a shipping point of view, it would be cheaper to ship just the trans and shopping list of parts than a whole car, unless there was some way to recover costs by parting it out, which would probably be unlikely.

If you are going threw all the trouble to ship a car from Europe, why not just get a nice Euro. spec 300SE and sell your car? Or a Euro. spec 560SE with a 5 speed if they make such a car would be awsome!

Narwhal - Yes, a helping hand in Germany would be excellent! I have an ex-girlfriend in Munich, and I am considering asking her for some help.

Hatteras guy- To register a euro spec car in the US would require a conversion to DOT specs. Very $$$.
Only 300SEs came with a manual option. All eight cylinders were only mated with autos, starting after the end of 3.5 liter m116 production.

MTI - Thanks for the info. I am starting to think a shopping list of all the needed parts will be the way to go. Should be cheaper, but will take a long time to track down the little pieces.

It sure would be nice if there was a cottage indusry which performed this surgery. Can anyone remember the name of the fellow who converted his 300E?

Mike

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Perhaps importing an MB from europe would not be as impossible as one might think.

there's such a thing as Type Certification, where EPA and NHTSA would look at a 300E from europe and say this was an engine/transmisson combination which was certified and sold in the US, and the car is the same, excepr for labeling, so it could be imported based on a letter from MB which states thusly.

I currently am empoyed by Customs, and see lots of vehicles imported with a letter from the Mfg.

Even with a car that was not imported, such as a 300TE-24 with a 5 speed could theoretically be brought in because the 24v engin and 5-speed combo was available in the 129 300SL's.

Happy Motoring

RBM

RBM -

This is all news to me. I have done a lot of reading on this over the last few years, and have found that it was not the engine/tranny combo that mattered, but rather the safety/emissions equipt.

Can you provide us with more detailed information? What exactly must be done to get european cars over here? Costs? This would be of interest to LOTS of people on MShop.

Thanks for your input. Mike

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

You mis-read my posting. It wasn't the engine/trans per se, but the type certification. If an engine/trans combo was certified in one model, it will be good in another model. Likewise, the 300E of europe is not significantly different (safety equipment-wise) than the North american version, except for labeling. The emissions requirements in Germany are probably now more stringant that the US.

Check with a Registered Importer (RI) near you, (search Registered Importer in Google). Vehicles coming in from Canada are usually brought in thorugh a broker, who works with the RI to ensure all of the paperwork is in order.

If the vehicle is Type certified, the process is speeded up considerably. As for the cost, I haven't personally gone through the process, but a co-worker who imported a late model Dodge paid $400 in Broker and RI fees.

Happy Motoring

RBM

An additional source of parts would be a W201 M103 5-speed, aka 190E 2.6.

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5 speed '91 190E 2.6 320,000 mi. (new car, fast, smooth as silk six, couldn't find any more Peugeots)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.5l Turbo Diesel 266,000 mi. (old car, fast for a diesel, had 2 others)
5 speed '01 Jetta V6 (new wifes car, pretty quick)
5 speed '85 Peugeot 505 2.2l Turbo Gas 197,000 mi. (wifes car, faster, sadly gone just short of 200k )
5 speed '83 Yamaha 750 Maxim 14,000 mi. (fastest)
0 speed 4' x 8' 1800 lb Harbor Freight utility trailer (only as fast as what's pulling it)

RB- Thanks for clarifying. Where are you located? Where was the Dodge brought in from?

Jim- I forgot all about that model! Hmm. I wonder if the clutch pedal is the same in that bodystyle?

Good info guys, much appreciated. Mike

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

I doubt that the tranny of the M 110 would fit on a M 103 or M 104. The starter is on the other side.

Doing the conversion you will probably need the flywheel, the linkage to the shifter and the shifter itself, the clutch pedal plus the hose plus the depot for the fluid.

You will probably need a shorter shaft also.

Sounds like serious work

Shipping shouldn't be a problem, also the importing (if necessary, cut of the roof or something similar and declare it as junk)

Getting the imported car would be the problem...

Kind regards
Eberhard

Mike,

I live in the Okanogan Valley in WA. The Dodge was imported from Canada.

RBM