Update: Freakshow W116 SD Manual Conversion, and other goodies - Printable Version +- STD (https://www.superturbodiesel.com/std) +-- Forum: Other (https://www.superturbodiesel.com/std/forumdisplay.php?fid=19) +--- Forum: Projects (https://www.superturbodiesel.com/std/forumdisplay.php?fid=14) +--- Thread: Update: Freakshow W116 SD Manual Conversion, and other goodies (/showthread.php?tid=7535)

Update: Freakshow W116 SD Manual Conversion, and other goodies - Freakshow - 12-12-2016 Whats shakin std homies? Been a while since i've checked in and i've made some good changes to my car since my last visit, so I figured I'd post up. First and most importantly, I swapped out my automatic for a 4 speed manual from a w123 240d.  I've never liked autos and after seeing the "super klean all kustom w116" thread posted by ryanmoriarty, I seriously got the urge to get rid of my slushbox.  A good donor 123 came up for sale near me about a month ago, so I scooped her up and started wrenching.  I didnt really take any pictures of the process due to constantly being covered in grease while working, but I can confirm its nearly a direct plug and play swap.  As previously stated in moriarty's thread, damn near everything bolts right up to the 116 chassis.  The only fabrication involved is drilling some new mounting holes in the 123 transmission crossmember so it matches the mounting holes in the 116 trans tunnel and shortening and rethreading the shift rods that run from the shifter to the transmission.  Everything else just bolts right up, the 123 driveshaft is a perfect fit, as is the pedal cluster and all hydraulic lines.  I did have to drill 2 holes for the lines, one in the firewall for the feed line from the brake reservoir to the clutch master and then one in the floor board for the hard line that runs from the clutch master to the transmission.  All in all, very easy from a fabrication standpoint, just super tedious and time consuming.  IE remove all parts from 240d, remove all from sd and then reinstall into sd.  Not difficult, just frustrating to have to do everything 3 times haha. That being said, if anyone needs a 240d with a running engine and no tranny, or a working auto and associated parts from a w116 sd in south florida, let me know, condo association is on my ass to get it out of our parking lot, otherwise theyll both be headed to pick and pull. As far as a driving report goes, im really happy I did the swap.  The car is a million times more engaging to drive than it was before and in a lot of ways feels more civilized.  My car used to have a little shake/interior rattle when in gear but stopped, this totally alleviated by the swap, just seems to run smoother in general.  I dont know if its much or any faster than before, but being able to effectively choose my gears means I can do more with whats available.  The manual is reportedly about 70lbs lighter than the auto, which shouldnt hurt either.  I didnt weigh either transmission, but I could easily pick up the manual by myself and it took two people to pick up the auto. The only disadvantages i've noticed with the swap are, I developed a seriously obnoxious exhaust drone that rattled the whole cabin between 37-42 in 4th gear (nonfunctional tach so rpm not known), which ive since dealt with, as traffic frequently drives 40mph in my neck of the woods.  My car was straight piped before I got it, so this may not apply to someone with a stock exhaust or with some sort of muffler/resonator installed.  I didnt change my exhaust during the swap, so I can only figure the torque converter in the auto avoided the specific rpm and throttle position that induces the drone, whereas the manual is locked to rpm depending on road speed and gear selection.  In any case, I installed a side exit exhaust that dumps right behind the passenger front wheel and this alleviated the drone almost completely.  The new exhaust is about the same, volume wise, as the old one, until you get into the throttle past 30% or so.  Where the old one, was garbled, slightly muffled and overall the opposite of crisp sounding, the new exhaust is crisp, clean, louder and overall has a pleasing and guttural snarl at wot.  Spool does not seem to be affected, but no tach and I had to use crush bent 2 1/4" tubing available locally.  I plan to eventually fab up a full mandrel bent downpipe in either 2.5 or 3 inches, which should hopefully improve spool time, which already seems quick compared to other sd owners reports ive read. And this really isnt an issue due to the swap, but it is more obvious now than with the auto which would usually launch in 2nd, but I really wish the gearing was a little taller, 1st especially.  1st is almost uselessly short in my opinion, and 2nd is a touch too tall to launch in.  I always felt 4th was short for modern highway speeds, so I think a 2.47 lsd swap might be in my future.  ~20% taller than the stock 3.07 and limited slip sounds like it would be about perfect for me. And in addition to all that other fun stuff I did, I got bae some new shoes!  Theyre nothing special, just some monoblock reps, but I practically stole them, so i'm very pleased with myself.  I saw them for sale as cosmetically blemished for $32 per wheel and immediately called the vendor thinking it was too good to be true.  When i called I found out it was legit and they had 4 left in the size and offset I needed so for $32x4 wheels + $100 shipping I got some pretty sweet 17x8 +30  amg reps.  Only one actually had a blemish that I could see and it was tiny.  Added some spacers and extended lugs which got my effective offset to +10.  Got some 235/45 continentals to go on there and now she drives like a whole new beast.  The car originally had 14x6 ronals on 205/70's, so the new shoes made an enormous difference in improving cornering manners and increasing overall grip, very pleased with the difference.  Now i just have to cut those springs... needs moar low side pipe feat. too much fender gap Thanks for looking everyone!