OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D

OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Printable Version

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OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-02-2011

Hello all.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a W123.
-It's a non-turbo diesel

-It's US spec with those hideous US-picnic table bumpers.

-It's Onion yellow

Well....

I bought it on a Sunday. The nest Wednesday I cut 1.5 coils off of the front springs, and removed the spring pads. I still think it rides a bit tall, so I might try chopping off half a coil more at a later point.

There are some small issues that I'm working on sorting out. More on that later.

Now, THE (two) PICS!

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g233/rolfi2/w123/22042011235.jpg
I only tried on the Borbet A's in the rear, on this pic. Hideous design when put on a w123.... blah...

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g233/rolfi2/w123/02052011245.jpg

Oh and btw.. I ordered new rims and tires today...
215/40-17 for the front, and 245/35-17 for the rear.

EDIT: I am VERY sorry for the huge pics, took away the IMG tags..

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-03-2011

The rims are 10x17 ET15 for the rear, and 8.5x17 ET20 for the front. With the 245/35-17 and 215/40-17 tires, I think it's going to fit perfectly. The tires are Hankook V12 something, has anyone tried them?
I won't upload any pics of the wheels before I recieve them.. But they'll make the car look awesome!

Todo list:

-Replace cracked dash. (I actually have a dash with real leather sewn on. The only problem is that it's beige... So I need to use som leather coloring to make it black)

-Fix or replace the climate control system (In case of replacing it, I'll use the standard Euro heater)

-New shocks (any recommendations? All I've found is Bilstein HD and spax. I'm considering the spax ones because of the possibility of damping adjustment and price.)

-I'm considering lowering springs, just to stiffen it up even more.

-Fix Dash lights (The bulb in the octopus thing is dead)

-Turbo it!

-Fix the electric rear window lifters. (Seems like the tooth gear of the motor is slipping when the window is being closed. Goes all the way up, *knock* and falls down some mm before it goes up again. Then the same thing happens.)

-Fix the central locking system. It doesn't work at all.

-Fix the cruise control

-Rewire front headlights/switch, so the front fog lights works when park/city lights is on.

-Fix the electric antenna

-Install a rev. counter

-Paaaaint.. (Possibly in Jet Black. RAL 9005)

-Replace interior. This is just something I thougt about, as I have front and back leather sportseats from a 1987 BMW M535i laying around in my garage. A LOT more comfy than the original MB-tex W123 church benches.

Questions? Comments? Tips? Suggestions? Bring it on Smile

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - willbhere4u - 05-03-2011

Loos nice take some pics of that leather dash sounds awsomwe!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-04-2011

willbhere4u: I'll take some pics when I've cleaned it properly. It's full of dirt and dust atm.

Yesterday I started the repair/fault finding on the climate control and vacuum system, as well as the octupus bulb etc...

After taking the bulb out of the socket and putting it back in, it worked Smile

There was a lot of broken vacuum lines under the hood. What can I replace them with? I was thinking about copper brake lines, but they might be a bit heavy? The Norwegian MB-dealers have horrible prices! I called them today, just to get a price on a front and rear windshield gasket/seal... The front one they asked around $380 for... For the rear one, they wanted around $420.

I ordered the seals from a local car-glass guy instead. Around $100 each, and then he could replace them for me aswell... Then I have a no-leak warranty, and great new seals which keeps the rain out Smile

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-05-2011

Yesterday me and a couple of friends continued on the fault-finding process for the vacuum system. There was A LOT of broken and blinded vacuum-lines. The Air Condition compressor is removed by a previous owner, and that makes it even worse as I'm missing parts... So I have kind of decided to get a donor car, and replace the climate control system with the standard heater installed in all Euro W123s.

I also found time to replace the drivers seat, with the BMW M535i seat. The BMW seat frames are 2 inches shorter and 1 inch narrower. I found brackets from a a Opel Senator rear bumper which raised the rear part of the seat, as well as moving the mounting point 2 inches forward and 1/2" towards the middle on each side. It's sitting far too high up, so I'm removing the seat this weekend and making some lower mounting brackets which cam be mounted on the floor.
The original mounting points will be kept untouched, so that I (or the next owner) can put original seats back in at a later point.

I have also purchased some sound-deadening mats, to reduce road and engine noise inside the car. I'm putting them in when the windscreen seals are being replaced, so the mats won't get wet and cause rust. When the rear windscreen is out, I'm also tinting it. It's A LOT easier doing that when it's not installed.

I'll take some pictures after work, when I continue working on the car.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Diesel-Wiking - 05-05-2011

looks great Rolfi, Anders her, 123-mannen som prater med deg på msn hehe

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - jeemu - 05-05-2011

(05-05-2011, 12:55 PM)Diesel-Wiking looks great Rolfi, Anders her, 123-mannen som prater med deg på msn hehe

Sorry OT, but is somewhere some story at that BMW 3.0 coupe?

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-06-2011

Now for the pics!

[Image: 123009.jpg]

I've only installed the drivers seat. I'll see if I find time to take the rest this weekend.

[Image: 123010.jpg]

I have problems with my power window switches... Rubbish plastic things...
[Image: 123018.jpg]

Here is a pic of the steering wheel. A LOT better than the original one.
[Image: 123001.jpg]

Sorry for the dark pics. Adjust your screens contrast setting if you have problems with them being too dark Smile

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Diesel-Wiking - 05-06-2011

ser veldig bra ut rolfi, tøff farge og park i blinkerne gjør seg så!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - JB3 - 05-06-2011

what steering wheel is that? looks great!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-07-2011

Anders: Takktakk. Matt løkgul er ikke akkurat fargen som tiltaler meg mest. Blir nok lakkering i svart om ikke så alt for lenge Smile

dropnosky: Thanks! It's a momo wheel, I have no idea which model. It came out of a W126 300SEL a friend of mine had as a parts-car for his W126. It originally had a wooden middle section as well... It looked damn tacky... So I threw it away, and now I have no horn Tongue

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-13-2011

Now I've bought a donor-car. I needed it mainly to get rid of the horrible original US climate control system. It also had euro bumpers in great condition, a good and almost crack-free dash, the early euro headlights, indicators in good condition, taillights, manual slide back sunroof, a two colored MB-tex interior, a LOT of rust, good suspension, good engine and good gearbox.

It's from 1982, so it has the small hazard switch, which I want to have in my car. It didn't have a single piece of wood tho, so I have to find the centre console and heater pieces in zebrano elsewhere.

I recieved the wheels yesterday. I have delivered them at the tire shop, and I'm going out there tomorrow so they can fit them on the car. I need hub centric rings and I might need longer/shorter bolts, so it's better to have them fit them and supply whatever I need.

I have also been in contact with Silverstone Tuning/Spax regarding lowering springs and shortened shocks. As they have to custom make the short shocks, they get more expensive. BUT if I could arrange a group-buy of minimum 10 sets, the price would be the same as the "standard" spax shocks. They could shorten both front and rear ones.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - mike-81-240d - 05-13-2011

(05-13-2011, 12:20 PM)rolfi I have also been in contact with Silverstone Tuning/Spax regarding lowering springs and shortened shocks. As they have to custom make the short shocks, they get more expensive. BUT if I could arrange a group-buy of minimum 10 sets, the price would be the same as the "standard" spax shocks. They could shorten both front and rear ones.

What would be the price? Plus price including lowering springs?

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-13-2011

(05-13-2011, 03:59 PM)mike-81-240d What would be the price? Plus price including lowering springs?

Here are the prices:

4 springs and 4 (or 2) shortened shocks (If I get 10 or more)
Inside EU: £450 ( ~ € 515) plus shipping
Outside EU: £432 (~ $700) plus shipping

4 shocks: $544 (€ 623)

I want to add that I'm not making money out of this, I just wanted to check the interest for (the worlds only?) shortened W123 shocks

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-15-2011

The wheels are on! Big Grin

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - willbhere4u - 05-15-2011

damn that looks great!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Biohazard - 05-15-2011

WOW!! Look at the dish on those back rims!! Those are seeeexxxyyy!!!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Diesel-Wiking - 05-16-2011

Oh my GODNESS, that is epic Rolfi! Helt sjukt!

Legg meg til på facebook a?! Anders Biringvad

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-18-2011

willbhere4u, Biohazard & Diesel-Wiking: Thanks a lot. I'm very pleased with how it looks! Nice to know that other people like it aswell Smile

Today I've tucked the front bumper.

I didn't take any pics of the process, but I can make a DIY, if people are interested? Smile

IMO, it looks a lot better now.

[Image: 07a6d108.jpg]

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Captain America - 05-18-2011

Hmmm, you removed the bumper shocks?

It does look good!

You got some meat on the rear too!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-18-2011

(05-18-2011, 05:10 PM)Captain America Hmmm, you removed the bumper shocks?

It does look good!

You got some meat on the rear too!

Thanks

I drilled a hole in each shock, pushed them all the way to the bottom and put glue in the holes to keep them compressed.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - mike-81-240d - 05-18-2011

hmm interesting bumpers.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-19-2011

(05-18-2011, 10:30 PM)mike-81-240d hmm interesting bumpers.

I have never seen it done on a W123 before, so I gave it a try. On BMW E28 and E30 with US-bumpers, tucking is fairly common.
I'm going to do it with the rear bumper as well, and if it looks rubbish, I'll put on a Euro rear.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-25-2011

I'm replacing the engine and gearbox this weekend, or the next... When I got the car the gearbox flared when gearing between 2nd and 3rd. It was worse the less throttle I had...

Today I was going up a hill.......
Around 15-20 meters up the hill, the gearbox started to slip... To stop the slip I had to take it a gear down..
There has been a smell of burnt ATF after longer trips (15+ minutes), but I always have considered unusual smells normal after driving a car hard...

Now I'm putting in a OM617 turbo from a 300TDT. It worked great when it was removed from the TDT, but it has been sitting for quite a while... (a year or two). I'm changing oil on both engine and gearbox before putting it in. Is there anything else I should do?

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - BRABUS - 05-26-2011

Kordan dim e det på felgan/ dekkan?

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-26-2011

Rear: 10x17 ET15 - 245/35-17
Front: 8.5x17 ET20 - 215/40-17

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-27-2011

(05-26-2011, 06:33 PM)smoke026 I gotta say that the bumper job is pretty bitching..Im gonna jack you on that idea. Looks clean and simply not that obvious, just what I like.
Nice one there,,,,

You will have to cut off some pieces of the bottom of the bumper, just to be able to put the nuts back on and mount it. I'll take some pics after work and post a DIY.
That's how I like my cars aswell Smile

Less is more!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-29-2011

(05-28-2011, 09:23 PM)smoke026 Heres my bumper tuck...Dont know how to feel about it.. It looks kind of Cool but also kind of weird..Maybe need to chop 1.5 on the front spring..

Nice work! Looks good.

I sent you a PM a couple of minutes ago, didn't see this post until now.

I also felt it looked somewhat weird at first, on my car. But when I compared the before and after pics, I realized that it just looked different and alot better.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 05-29-2011

I found my new engine... In a forest....
It was pulled from a W123 300TDT 2 years ago, and put in the forest. It still runs!

2 years like this:
[Image: d86aefcf.jpg]

Video of startup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhpbSghxTmQ

Yes, I am putting this thing in my car!

The engine in my car sucks horse-balls, and the gearbox doesn't want to go up relatively steep hills in 3rd or 4th gear...

Let's just hope both the forest engine and the forest gearbox attached to it is as good as the engine seems. Time will show!
I will hopefully pull the engine out of my car on Wednesday, and start putting in the forest one the same day or thursday.
I'll keep you updated!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Captain America - 05-30-2011

That thing sounds awesome for sitting!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 06-07-2011

The engine is now in the car.

But there is one problem...

The sump is crashing with the right mounting point for the shock, and the engine won't sit right. The engine shocks are FAR off aswell.
It's not even possible to screw in the bolts to the mounts...

I'm going to try using the motor mounts which sat on my 617.912 originally, and see if the engine will fit with them...

I also noticed that the engine has a MW-pump. I have no idea why. I thought all Euro diesels had the M-pump?

It doesn't have anything that makes it look like it's a US-engine, except for the pump.

And btw.. Lowering the engine into the car... Let's put it this way, I know how hell feels like!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Captain America - 06-07-2011

the w126 uses different mounts.....

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 06-08-2011

After some twisting and wiggling of the engine, it did fit. Smile

The shocks however, doesn't.
The hoses for the cooling system, the lines to the transmission oil cooler and some other things doesn't fit either.
I also have problems fitting the fan/alternator belt, as I used the alternator from the N/A engine. The one from the TDT wasn't in useable condition.

Was alot changed on the w123 from 1980 to 1983?

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Captain America - 06-08-2011

Oh yeah! the NA motor has both shocks in front instead of having them staggered like on the turbo motors!!! I ran into the same issue and that is why I decided no to swap the turbo motor into the NA chassis...

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 06-08-2011

It looks like it's possible to unbolt the upper mount bracket for the shocks from the NA engine. That way it should be possible to bolt it on to the turbo engine. I think I'll try it when everything else is done.

Will the car shake alot without the shocks?
I haven't tried starting it in the car yet, because of the said problems with belts, hoses and oil lines.

Other things have been done aswell. I've replaced the rubber seals for the front and rear windscreen, I have removed the dash and everything related to the Climate/Aircon system, except for the big box inside the car. The leather dash will need more work to look good, so I'll just use the dash from my donor car.

For the exhaust, I have a pipe that goes from the turbo, and stops behind the right front wheel.
It's just temporary, to get the exhaust out of the engine bay. When the car is running etc, I'll decide if I'm going custom, or bolt on a original system from a turbodiesel.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - Captain America - 06-08-2011

I wouldn't know on the engine mounts... I didn't have access to the NA mounts for my swap

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - BRABUS - 06-08-2011

bruk det orginale motor feste fra NA motorn på høyre side. Venstre side kan du bruke turbo motor feste visst det e fra w123. Da får du i det minste 1 motor demper. Sånn æ kjøre og det funke fint som bare det...

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 08-02-2011

The engine swap is all done, and the car has been running for a couple of weeks Smile

The only thing missing now is an exhaust system. I'm running only downpipe now.

I got a BBS front airdam, and ofcourse it didn't fit with the US front bumper... I had to fit it lower than it's supposed to sit, so I'm scraping it everywhere...

Here is a couple of pics taken with my new cheap-ass-rubbish-china-phone camera.
[Image: c90543e0.jpg]

I have fitted the headlight now. The pipe I used for the airfilter was too long. Shortened it and fitted the headlight after the pics was taken Smile

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - mike-81-240d - 08-03-2011

Get rid of the us bumper. Or sell me the splitter...

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - iheartboost - 08-03-2011

lol when i first read your rim size i was like WHAT?!?!? but then i realized i guess its normal for you to put the width then height.

looks nice though man!

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 08-22-2011

Thanks for comments Smile

I've been driving the car almost daily for a week now. Every 2 days there is a new problem. Drove it to work on Monday, and it didn't charge the battery. I had to buy a new one and the alternator belt snapped off.... Replaced it and drove it to work on Tuesday. When I got home on Tuesday the alternator belt snapped off again... I replaced it on Wednesday and drove the car to work on thursday... Thursday afternoon the accelerator linkage broke... I fixed it on Friday, and had been driving for 5 minutes before the alternator belt snapped off again...

The car sure is hungry for them belts!

I'm on the hunt for a used but working alternator. It's expensive as hell, since it's the two-belt one... My alternator is kind of a frankenstein. The alternator is from the 300D NA engine, but with the twin belt pulley from the 300D Turbo engine. The belts are sitting way too tight, and I believe it's because the fan-thing on the NA alternator is bigger than the one on the turbo. I can't loosen it enough to get the belts on properly. If I loosen it too much (which still is somewhat too tight for the belt), the fan-thing touches the top bracket and it squeaks like hell.

I've also raised the boost to around 1.2bar. Still on 300D NA settings for the IP. Works good, but I will be adjusting the fuel-feed this week.

It has also started dripping oil... Quite a lot, actually. A small drop every 30-60 seconds when hot.. I'll keep an eye on it, as I've been told these engines can drip a little after sitting for a while, because of the rear seal on the crank.

Just a little update Smile

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - 300D50 - 08-22-2011

I'd swap the 2 belt pulley onto the new alternator, the FSM has the instructions on how to do it.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 08-22-2011

that is what have been done.. I cant loosen it enough to even get the belt on, because the fan/sunbeams or whatever it's called, which sits between the pulley and alternator, hits the top mounting bracket for the alternator before it is loosened enough... might have to grind off some material somewhere.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - 300D50 - 08-22-2011

Can you swap out the alternator fan as well?

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 08-22-2011

the fan from the alternator of the turbo engine was broken, along with the alternator which was stuck. that's why I put together the frankenstein alternator with parts from both the NA and the turbo ones.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - 300D50 - 08-22-2011

Ah, now it makes sense.

I'd spin her up, and take a file to the fan blades, being carefull not to let it get caught.

RE: OMG, it's Onion-Yellow! rolfi's 1980 MB 300D - rolfi - 09-16-2011

The alternator problem is solved, I hope. Got a used one from a TDT. Smile

I have also been on a shopping spree, and bought all of the bushes and ball joints in the suspension. A friend of mine brought the car to school and replaced everything, as the teacher considered it educational! Big Grin

I'll be getting the car back later today!

I told him not to replace the flex-discs as I'm considering getting them in aluminium instead.
The shocks and springs weren't replaced now, because of my planned order for the spax suspension kit.

The rear subframe bushings (or whatever they're called. The big ones) I filled with polyurethane, to make them stiffer and more durable (Meyle heavy duty, which I made even heavier duty.)

Brakes I'll be getting from a friends W126 300SEL parts-car, so no need to replace the old ones just yet.

The IP is also turned up, when I get it back today. Oh joy!

Then the only thing left is replacing the trans shifter cable and adjusting the shifts. I'm doing that myself, as I'm a creature of perfection regarding things like that.

A little update with a lot of invisible work done Smile