JustPassinThru's 1985 300D
JustPassinThru's 1985 300D
Hello, y'all, this is my first post. I'm 56. I work for a small company which renovates high-end older homes in Seattle.
I bought her in February and then found this forum and so have ambitions of dominating the street, but quietly, modestly, tastefully.
She has 356K miles on the odometer. Seller said the engine was overhauled 100K ago, the IP recently. Windshield, left front fender, and driver's door are not original, so I guess at some point it has been in an accident. Still, it tracks and rides like a Mercedes should, i.e. like a cloud on rails. Color is Nautical Blue with a Fawn pinstripe; she has very little rust, but has been repainted extensively by an amateur. So far, I've polished her as best I could by hand, and fixed several dangling rubber trim strips, and fixed a water leak into the cabin --battery acid had eaten a half-dollar-size hole just aft of the drain hole below the battery. I patched the hole with a Dremel (well, actually a Proxxon, the German Dremel), some GE Premium silicone caulk (the one that smells like epoxy, not vinegar), RustReformer and black spraypaint from Walmart. Installed Sylvania XV headlamps:
Interior is Palomino MB-Tex and I had the good luck to find some choice quality front seats in the exact matching color. Unfortunately the driver's seat armrest upholstery had come loose, torn, around the armrest's release knob and the shop I took it to for repair (Sure-Fit Auto Upholstery, Tacoma) totally messed it up. DO NOT use this shop!!! So I have taken a replacement armrest from a pull'n'pray, and have obtained some dye which I hope will match the existing seats. There is a small crack in the dash by the right speaker, the vinyl moldings around the windows are heat-warped, and there is an oil spill on the left of the tranny hump, I presume from some kind of accident involving an oil line in the area of the ignition switch. The parcel shelf is badly sun-bleached, and I have had to spend much time making sure all the doors and windows open and close like they should, e.g. replacing small items of hardware. All in all though, I think this one's interior is in much better than average condition:
I still need the "right" manifolds. And if I can obtain a "good" turbo and the actuators for it, I think I would prefer doing that to overhauling this Garrett T3 with a 60-trim compressor wheel, as at least one person here has done. Exhaust, tranny, and rear end, yeah, I'm looking forward to tackling these challenges, with your kind assistance of course.
Hey! Thanks for joining and showing off your ride! Welcome! That oil spot on the tunnel is from oil getting past your shut off valve on the IP, traveling through the vacuum line and leaking out at the vacuum valve on the ignition switch. If it is a current leak you will need to replace the shut off actuator on the IP and clean out the lines. Good looking car you have there, keep us in the loop on your progress!
Welcome!
As garage said to me, be prepared to have a new addiction
Haha Welcome and exactly what these guys said ^^^ Get ready.... To get dirty
Bought a set of Euro bumpers today. No rubber end caps though.
Purchased a GT22V today, pulled from a 2002 Sprinter. Spins freely, no shaft play.
Waiting now for the GT22V to get fitted to a custom exhaust system.
Also, as indicated above, I have a Garrett T3 from a California trap-ox 1985 300D. Plus a "mystery Garrett" from a Volvo, model unknown, which has a 60-trim compressor wheel. Unknown if this 60-trim wheel will fit on either of my other Garrett's (the T3 and the GT2256V), but I intend to find out.
I also now have an M-pump.
Not sure yet, which pump (M or MW) I will go with, and what to do about elements and injectors. Somewhere I saw that setting the pop pressure on the standard Bosch 261 injector nozzles to 130-135 bar, will eliminate nailing.
Somewhere in this mix, I hope to find the sweet combination, the Savoy Truffle, the Wabash Cannonball...
Oh yes, I almost forgot, I also now own a "heated centrifuge refinery," for turning WVO into SVO.
Depending on year, the Volvo turbo may bolt right up to the MB exhaust manifold. You would have to make a different down pipe though. Looking forward to seeing the GT22V setup!
I'm liking where this is going.
It now has a couple of modifications to accommodate the anticipated eventual ability to go faster: W126 Generation One front brake backing plates+rotors+calipers (from a 1984 380SE), and 7-inch H4 conversion headlights (Bosch 0 301 600 118 headlamps and Philips Xtreme Power 60/55W bulbs; I have also ordered a pair of Hella H83140011 130/90W bulbs, plus a heavy-duty relay kit, to experiment with) (I have a 95-amp alternator).
Also I pulled the 9005/9006 headlamp set from a Beemer yesterday. I have a pair of ancient Hella TN6 bumper-mounted clear foglamps (from an early-'70's 220D) and am meditating on schemes for combining these lamps with these mounts. There is an interesting replacement bulb for 9005/9006 headlamps offered at http://finemotoring.com/
Also, I have bought the transmission from a 1982 300SD.
I now have the 722.311 transmission from a 1985 European 500SE (hoping to get steel clutch discs out of it). This transmission is quite a bit heavier than the one from the 1982 300SD.
Also now have a second W123 300D, silver with blue interior. Eventually that one will get its own thread, but first I'll have to get it running acceptably. It is equipped with a two-tank SVO system, heaters all the way from the tank to the injectors, brand is VegPower (and, for my blue-and-palomino car, the subject of this thread, I now have the mercedessource.com SVO kit, bought second-hand on Craigslist, not yet installed). The new car blows grey smoke and will need, at minimum, new injector nozzles --the seller left it sitting, unstarted, for six months with SVO in the lines. Also needs an unknown amount of exhaust system repair. It was stored in a tall, open carport out in a sheep pasture for two years. I am almost reluctant to pressure-wash the moss off of it, it looks so...art nouveau...
Update on headlights: I must disrecommend the Philips Xtreme Power bulbs. Their high beams are too bright in the yellow end of the spectrum. When it's pitch-black dark, on a moonless midnight out in the rural area where I live, the Xtreme Power bulbs light up yellow warning signs too brightly. I cannot read what the sign actually says until I'm almost right up on it, 75 yards or so from the sign; until then, the sign's black "ink" is dazzled-out by incredibly-intense yellow. Philips has a new bulb called NightGuide which throws a three-color beam: yellow off to the left so as to minimize glare to oncoming drivers, white straight up the road, and blue off to the right. It seems reasonable to speculate that this design may cure the too-bright-on-warning-signs defect of the Xtreme Power bulbs. So my next headlight bulb purchase will be a set of NightGuides.
Well-known lighting authority Daniel Stern wrote a forum post in which he denounced the use of "Bosch motorcycle headlamps," but I believe he must have been thinking of some other headlamp than these Bosch 0 301 600 118's; I attach a comparison pair of photos, against Sylvania XtraVision sealed-beams, which shows the Bosch headlamps' low-beam against my garage door. As you can see, low-beam cutoff on the Bosch lamps is absolutely beautiful --the photo does not do it justice. Parking my car in the right lane of a deserted country road at 1 AM with the low beams on and walking out ahead of it, I see that glare to oncoming drivers is non-existent. On the road at night, low-beam vision is good and is very very good when the yellow fog lamps are also turned on. When the low-beams are perfectly aimed the high beam is just a tiny bit too high, but not by much --high beams are only very slightly "up in the trees" (but, this is not necessarily a bad thing out where I live). Overall, I deem that night vision (with the Xtreme Power bulbs) is quite acceptable *except* for the too-bright-yellow-in-high-beams-on-warning-signs problem; after having driven for the last 6 months with the Sylvania XtraVision sealed beams, driving at night now with this Bosch + Xtreme Power combination is pure bliss, as long as I'm not coming up on a yellow warning sign. Hopefully, the Philips NightGuide bulbs will cure the warning-signs problem and will give equal or better straight-down-the-road lighting as the Xtreme Powers. We'll see.
I also found today, a pair of Cibie 7-inch round H4 headlamps, I pulled them from a 1967 European 230 fintail. General consensus of opinion, from what I find on the 'Net, is that Cibie's are the best H4 headlamps ever built by the hand of man, with the possible exception (just maybe) of Marschal lamps, but...both reflectors are badly rusted. One of the Cibie's glass face has a small rock hole near 12 o'clock, the other's glass face is nearly flawless, just a few dust scratches. Can anyone tell me if it is possible to re-chrome the reflectors?
Sylvania XtraVision 7" round H6024 sealed-beam low-beams (non-existent cutoff):
Bosch 0 301 600 118 H4 conversion headlamps (so-called "motorcycle headlamps") with Philips Xtreme Power 9003xps2 bulbs, low-beams (excellent cutoff):
-Philip
Those lights are a HUGE difference! I'm pretty sure you can have reflectors rechromed back to shiny, just can't remember who does it in the greater NW.
Well, if you / anyone else remembers, knows, or finds out where I can get headlamp reflectors re-chromed or re-aluminized or whatever back to shiny-new anywhere in the Puget Sound region, please inform.
I should also announce that I have pulled the rear swaybar from a 240D, which I presume is identical to that on a 300D --it is part number 123 326 4465 (part number is visible if you dismount the left rear tire+wheel, it is stamped on the swaybar behind the link attaching the swaybar to the left wheel's backing plate). I will check first on my 300D to be sure they are the same, and, if they are, will take this swaybar to the fabrication facility of H & R Springs in Bellingham next week, to inquire into having a duplicate, but thicker, made. I am thinking, based on PM's with WinMutt, that 17mm is what I want --but am certainly no expert on suspensions and thus am open to different opinions. Perhaps I can organize a group buy. Would anyone be interested in this?
Also,...and this is a kind of emergency, as the donor car is slated to be crushed tomorrow...I need to know how one detaches from the inside of the trunk lid, the latch which holds the warning triangle in place, on a W126. It is rare to find a warning triangle on a W126 in the United States. I snagged the triangle itself today, and it fits perfectly in the trunk lid of my W123, and I believe also that the latch will transfer over, but could not figure out how to get the latch off. Thanks.
-Philip
(09-22-2011, 03:27 AM)JustPassinThru I will check first on my 300D to be sure they are the same, and, if they are, will take this swaybar to the fabrication facility of H & R Springs in Bellingham next week, to inquire into having a duplicate, but thicker, made. I am thinking, based on PM's with WinMutt, that 17mm is what I want --but am certainly no expert on suspensions and thus am open to different opinions. Perhaps I can organize a group buy. Would anyone be interested in this?
(09-22-2011, 03:27 AM)JustPassinThru I will check first on my 300D to be sure they are the same, and, if they are, will take this swaybar to the fabrication facility of H & R Springs in Bellingham next week, to inquire into having a duplicate, but thicker, made. I am thinking, based on PM's with WinMutt, that 17mm is what I want --but am certainly no expert on suspensions and thus am open to different opinions. Perhaps I can organize a group buy. Would anyone be interested in this?
@#*% the wrecking yard crushed the car before I got there to pull the warning triangle retention clip this morning.
Was quoted $180 apiece to refinish the Cibie headlamp reflectors...in pure silver. The actual metal, not just the color.
Pulled the rear sway bar from a 300TD wagon today. This may raise the chances of my trip to H & R being productive. Now if only I had some Bilstein HD's...
(EDITED: Well I'll be. I just placed the 300TD rear sway bar next to the one I pulled from the 240D and...they are identical. See post 2 below)
Oh yes...and...(*chuckle*) (*snicker*) (*he tries unsuccessfully to look nonchalant*)...uh...I obtained a "good" intake manifold today.
(insert maniacal laughter here...)
AT LONG FLIPPIN' LAST!!!
As soon as my exhaust system arrives, I can proceed with my build.
-Philip
(09-23-2011, 03:13 AM)JustPassinThru @#*% the wrecking yard crushed the car before I got there to pull the warning triangle retention clip this morning.
Was quoted $180 apiece to refinish the Cibie headlamp reflectors...in pure silver. The actual metal, not just the color. Shoulda known better than to talk to a jeweler...
Pulled the rear sway bar from a 300TD wagon today. This may raise the chances of my trip to H & R being productive. Now if only I had some Bilstein HD's...
(EDITED: Well I'll be. I just placed the 300TD rear sway bar next to the one I pulled from the 240D and...they are identical. A previous owner must have installed the 15mm upgrade sway bar in the 240D.)
Oh yes...and...(*chuckle*) (*snicker*) (*he tries unsuccessfully to look nonchalant*)...uh...I obtained a "good" intake manifold today.
(insert maniacal laughter here...)
AT LONG FLIPPIN' LAST!!!
As soon as my exhaust system arrives, I can proceed with my build.
-Philip
300TD's have thicker front sway bars, not rear. Limo's have the thick rear sway bar, as well as having the wagon front.
(09-23-2011, 03:13 AM)JustPassinThru @#*% the wrecking yard crushed the car before I got there to pull the warning triangle retention clip this morning.
Was quoted $180 apiece to refinish the Cibie headlamp reflectors...in pure silver. The actual metal, not just the color. Shoulda known better than to talk to a jeweler...
Pulled the rear sway bar from a 300TD wagon today. This may raise the chances of my trip to H & R being productive. Now if only I had some Bilstein HD's...
(EDITED: Well I'll be. I just placed the 300TD rear sway bar next to the one I pulled from the 240D and...they are identical. A previous owner must have installed the 15mm upgrade sway bar in the 240D.)
Oh yes...and...(*chuckle*) (*snicker*) (*he tries unsuccessfully to look nonchalant*)...uh...I obtained a "good" intake manifold today.
(insert maniacal laughter here...)
AT LONG FLIPPIN' LAST!!!
As soon as my exhaust system arrives, I can proceed with my build.
-Philip
(09-23-2011, 12:26 PM)mike-81-240d 300TD's have thicker front sway bars, not rear. Limo's have the thick rear sway bar, as well as having the wagon front.
(09-23-2011, 12:26 PM)mike-81-240d 300TD's have thicker front sway bars, not rear. Limo's have the thick rear sway bar, as well as having the wagon front.
I am *still* waiting on delivery of my custom exhaust, with a mating flange for my GT22V. My patience is almost exhausted. If it is not here by December 1st, I will start taking the necessary steps (M.O. trace, formal complaint to his local city police and postmaster) to have the seller thrown in jail for mail fraud. *update* I have PM'ed the seller to demand my money and my exhaust housing back. Enough is enough.
It has been below freezing the past few nights. With my EGR and ARV lines disconnected and plugged, she would not start. Reconnecting them, starts immediately. Something about disconnecting these and cold weather does not compute.
Mine starts right up with all EGR components deleted, including EGR valve and ARV.
Phillip,
I plugged up my ARV and EGR and never an issue for years-- just seemed a little peppier and faster. Do you think it could be something else?
Also, any details on the sway bar saga ? Pictures? I got my new MB and I am starting the great rebuild as of Thanksgiving weekend. Wife should love that. LOL. The drivetrain is out of the car, so this would be a great time to add the sway bar. Would you be willing to start a new thread instead of a hi-jack in the making?
Greazzer from sunny SC
Thanks,
With EGR and ARV disconnected, cold idle is around 600 RPM, oscillatory, I had to pump the pedal a little for about one minute til it warmed slightly. Warm idle was 700, smooth. With them reconnected, cold idle is around 700, smooth, and warm idle is 750, smooth. The only advantage I saw in disconnecting them was *slightly* sooner acceleration from a stoplight, though still not instantaneous.
Also, regardless of whether EGR and ARV are connected or not, for about the first half-mile the car is sluggish, as if transmission is not fully transmitting; I can't park uphill overnight or else, if I do, I can't pull the car forward until it's warm. I can park facing downhill though, as it still has (barely) enough reverse gear when cold to move backward uphill. Are there any clues in this? Vacuum just aft of the pump is strong, I don't remember the exact figure but if memory serves it's one inch of Hg higher than spec, as the first thing I did after buying the car was (of necessity) overhaul the vacuum pump.
As for the sway bar saga, the trip to H & R did not come off; before reaching Bellingham, I got hijacked by mermaids to Anacortes, and thence shanghai'ed onto their sailboat. Spent the whole three days in abject slavery, hidden from would-be rescuers in secret coves in the San Juan Islands, forced to hoist jibs and swab decks and do things with anchors, subsisting on kelp and octopus. Fortunately I escaped --sea turtles, mate-- but never came within 30 miles of Bellingham. The wagon front swaybar and two 13 mm (ordinary) rear sway bars are still sitting in my trunk. Probably won't go to Bellingham again before January. I should note here that, the rear end of 300D #2 (the silver one) sits about 2" higher at the wheel well than 300D #1. So I guess the seller-to-me of #1 made a lowering modification to the rear suspension. It rides and corners quite wonderfully; a locally notorious S-curve with a 35 MPH warning sign can be taken, even on wet (but not icy) pavement, at 60 MPH with only slight tire squeal and I don't doubt it could be taken at 70 on dry pavement. But I haven't delved into the rear ends of both cars yet to discover what the modification is.
I like the mermaid part ...
So, sources for a 15mm or 15mm+ front or rear swaybar that does NOT require any modifications? Of, does such a creature exist. I still believe in mermaids, however.
According to winmutt, the 15mm rear sway bar came factory-stock on the (rare) W123 limo version. He has it. He likes it over the stock 13mm but wishes it were 17mm and feels that 19mm would be too stiff. So, my plan was and still is to ask H & R how much $$$ to fabricate a duplicate of the standard 13mm rear sway bar out of 17mm stock. But I don't want to pose this question just over the phone, rather I want to show them the actual car and the actual sway bars (both front and rear) and additionally ask if perhaps there is a better shock absorber than the Bilstein HD. And learn whatever other secrets they are willing to divulge.
Wonder if a custom made 17mm would be cost prohibitive ???
>> Wonder if a custom made 17mm would be cost prohibitive ???
That is my question. How much for one, and how much for, say, six?
Found a 1976 (W115) 300D at a local wrecking yard today. Paid $120 for the intake manifold, its one-year-old 850 cold-cranking-amp battery, all five glow plugs which look like new, and its pair of Hella TN6 driving lamps whose reflectors, incredibly, look new.
Is there anything else on a W115 300D I should grab?
It has a trailer hitch, but it looks like it will require removal of the fuel tank to pull it. Does anyone happen to know if the trailer hitch from a W115 will fit a W123?
Very nice score. I think I will swing by the Pull a Part today and just walk around. Always good for finding at least another umbrella. You always need one of those .... LOL
Dirty pockets .... LOL.
>> Very nice score...
Well, think of it this way: now that I have two of them, the next one I find is yours! --unless Mike-81-240D wants it...
>> When im at the yard glowplugs go into my pocket...
I never swipe from wrecking yards. If they charge prices so high that I begin to feel like pocket thievery would be fair, I go find another wrecking yard.
Especially here in rainy Seattle in November, wrecking yard work is about the most awful job there is. And so, respecting this, I address even the greasiest yard crew member by name, and speak in complete sentences in a respectful and polite tone, and I never interrupt a yardworker in the midst of doing something that I myself would not wish to be interrupted while doing. And I'm scrupulously honest with the front desk crew. Also, if it's a somewhat rare part like a GT22V turbocharger, and they offer me a fair price on it, I don't try to dicker them down to something ridiculous *like someone I know has done*...
You'd be surprised at the discounts I am given simply because I exercise what used to be common courtesy. For example...I forgot one item in that $120 total I mentioned above. Besides the intake manifold, the battery, the glow plugs, and the driving lights, I also got the instrument cluster out of a 1967 230 fintail. I don't need it, I'll simply flip it on eBay and it'll pay for most of the other stuff. Treating hardworking yard personnel like human beings, and not like dogs or slaves or sucker victims, pays.
Bought a Thule roof rack with skis-holder and two bicycle holders off of Craigslist today, $40. The seller is moving to Portland tomorrow. He placed the ad five days ago and priced it very inexpensively as a "must go, need it gone" item. He gave an incorrect phone number, he transposed two digits. The people at that wrong phone number were bewildered at getting a dozen phone calls a day. And yet out of the dozens of people who had wanted it, *not one* before me followed up by simply sending a brief email to the seller, advising him of his mistake, and asking him to call me. Hence, I, number 50 or 60 of the people who wanted it, was the one that got it.
Sometimes politeness consists of letting people bask in their own wisdom and not play know-it-all. A few weeks ago I bought three cases of Mobil 1 0W-40, eighteen quarts, on Craigslist, for $65 which is, mmm, $3.61 a quart. You see, the seller said, he just bought this used late-model Honda, and its manual says to use only 10W-30, so he dared not use 0W-40 lest he void his warranty. Yes of course, said I, you always want to follow the manufacturer's instructions...
(11-27-2011, 01:23 AM)JustPassinThru I also got the instrument cluster out of a 1967 230 fintail. I don't need it, I'll simply flip it on eBay and it'll pay for most of the other stuff.
(11-27-2011, 01:23 AM)JustPassinThru I also got the instrument cluster out of a 1967 230 fintail. I don't need it, I'll simply flip it on eBay and it'll pay for most of the other stuff.
OK -- back to the races --
Phillip, in the near future, are you going to venture into the mythical land where they make sway bars ? (next to the hot mermaids). If so, could you see what the costs would be for a group make? My limited experience with making stuff is that the first one costs a bundle, and thereafter pretty cheap. I will take number 3 or 4 off the assembly line ... LOL. My engine is out so this is the ideal time for sway bar installation applications. If so, and the costs are not a killer, I will buy one in advance & ship you the money. Let me know. PM is fine or email.
(11-27-2011, 01:15 PM)Greazzer ...in the near future, are you going to venture ...where they make sway bars ?...If so, could you see what the costs would be for a group make?...My engine is out so this is the ideal time for sway bar installation...
(11-27-2011, 01:15 PM)Greazzer ...in the near future, are you going to venture ...where they make sway bars ?...If so, could you see what the costs would be for a group make?...My engine is out so this is the ideal time for sway bar installation...
What is the thickness of the front swaybar from a Wagon? I understand from the posts that the sedan is 13mm. I need to re-read and pay attention. I was under the impression that the ideal thickness for a front would be 17mm. I assume the same goes for the rear. So, if you drive out to whereever this place is, please let the forum know what a 17mm REAR sway bar costs. I will start looking at the PaP for some wagons. Thanks for the heads up and info !
Hmm. I own both a micrometer and a pair of Vernier calipers and I've mislaid both of them.
However, by eyeball estimation against a millimetric ruler:
W123 sedan front sway bar = somewhere around 22 or 23 mm
W123 wagon front sway bar = 25 mm
When I pulled the rear sway bar I did have my Vernier calipers at hand and so did measure:
W123 sedan rear sway bar = 13 mm
W123 wagon rear sway bar = 13 mm (it is identical to the sedan rear sway bar)
and by winmutt I have been informed:
W123 sedan (limo version) rear sway bar = 15 mm
W123 sedan (winmutt-(and-me)-wished-for version) rear sway bar = 17 mm
Can anyone tell me, how many hp and/or how much torque the *stock* driveline, differential, and CV axles --in other words, everything rearward from the transmission-- will withstand, on my 1985 300D? Differential ratio is 2.88.
Till it breaks, then back it off a little
(01-19-2012, 02:32 AM)Captain America Till it breaks, then back it off a little
(01-19-2012, 02:32 AM)Captain America Till it breaks, then back it off a little
Incidentally...Seattle seldom (like, once in a decade) gets ten inches of snow in a single night, but we did on January 18th. Even rarer (like, none in living memory) is a freezing rainstorm like that which followed on the 19th. Douglas firs and western hemlocks turned into widowmakers; their snapped-off (by ice overload) falling branches and even entire treetops closed several highways and fell across countless power lines. Over 300,000 homes and businesses, including mine, lost electric power --something like 1/3 of all electricity customers in the entire Puget Sound region. I just got my juice back after having run my home on generator power for about 48 hours. Thought y'all might like to see what it looked like:
Benz with ten inches of snow on it:
View down road with a 20-foot-tall willow tree bent down onto it:
Closeup of willow tree branches:
Might be knocked offline tomorrow and/or Tuesday, too, as two more storms are heading this way.
Thank goodness I live in the sunny South !!! Hang tight !!!
(01-18-2012, 11:30 PM)JustPassinThru Can anyone tell me, how many hp and/or how much torque the *stock* driveline, differential, and CV axles --in other words, everything rearward from the transmission-- will withstand, on my 1985 300D? Differential ratio is 2.88.
(01-18-2012, 11:30 PM)JustPassinThru Can anyone tell me, how many hp and/or how much torque the *stock* driveline, differential, and CV axles --in other words, everything rearward from the transmission-- will withstand, on my 1985 300D? Differential ratio is 2.88.
(01-23-2012, 06:21 PM)led-panzer ...I'm in the process of replacing my rear axles now, they went from no known problems when I got it to "so bad I can't drive it anymore". Now as far as I know they are the originals so its possible...
(01-23-2012, 06:21 PM)led-panzer ...I'm in the process of replacing my rear axles now, they went from no known problems when I got it to "so bad I can't drive it anymore". Now as far as I know they are the originals so its possible...
Yeah buddy! I'm worst than most of you I'm sure with my car because it sees the dirt quite often. Rallying down dirt road and climbing hills because ppl say the Benz wont make it... my drivers axle is clapped out, or on its way because if I have any weight or passengers in the rear I get a nice vibration, basically anytime the rear suspension compresses.
Any progress on the car lately?
Still collecting parts and contemplating strategies...
Aren't we all, aren't we all
Welp...that's the end of that. I hit a deer last night.
Overall damage from front, three-quarter view from left:
http://i48.tinypic.com/mu76m9.jpg
AC heat-exchanger, frame, and left headlamp. The frame got pushed in hard enough to twist the oil cooler a little, and the top pipe hit the power steering pulley, this made the top pipe pop loose and sprayed oil all over the engine compartment:
http://i50.tinypic.com/22wyg8.jpg
Oil-covered engine compartment from left:
http://i45.tinypic.com/35d3fb6.jpg
Front from right side:
http://i45.tinypic.com/f0vgvb.jpg
Power steering pulley dent where the oil cooler pipe hit it. The cooling fan shroud is touching the V-belt:
http://i45.tinypic.com/wkg2z8.jpg
Incredibly, the radiator survived intact, cushioned from the impact by the auxiliary AC cooling fan and heat-exhanger, and by the crushing-in of the frame. I'll swap it back into my other 300D, the silver 1983, from which I took this radiator just a few days ago. Then swap the nice interior from this one into the silver one. Then pull the diff, tranny, and other good parts. Then off to the crusher it goes.
The most important question / issue of all -- Are you OK ? No injuries I hope !