1983 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

Sedan

Automatic

WDBAB33A4DB019177

Clear

Diesel

This became my third car when I got married, and it has to go. I would love to keep it and finish it, but I don't have the energy. It needs to go to a happy home. I spent a summer, and what turned out to be almost $6000, meticulously remediating the drivetrain, pulling the engine and replacing most of the external wear parts, and installing a rebuilt Sun Valley transmission and rebuilt driveshaft and flex discs. Almost any other example of the W123, if it isn’t already, will soon be dripping oil from behind the dashboard, from either the ignition switch, or the oil pressure gauge, or both. On this car, one of the many things I did was upgrade the oil pressure gauge with electronic components to keep oil lines out of the dash, and the ignition vacuum components have been completely rebuilt, so oil doesn’t drip on your feet while you drive. Yes, oil can come out of the ignition switch on these cars. I updated the tach sender on the car, and it works. It includes uninstalled a high rise N/A manifold from I think a W115. The body has very little rust, but the rear quarter panel has a crease. I have the replacement quarter panel and the inner fender panel and I’m including them with the car. Any competent owner or restoration shop can replace the panels in a few good sessions with a spot welder. The car should be painted anyway. Included are two extra engines and a transmission shell. On this car, there is no need for those silly vacuum valves on the head cover. I installed new monark injectors and balanced them really close with mercedessource’s injector tuning kit. The 1-2 gear change chirps the tires. It pulls really good on the freeway. All parts are OEM/NOS or state of the art upgrades: Engine: rebuilt T3 turbo rebuilt/ pressure balanced Monark injectors new silicone waste gate hose new turbo>manifold o-rings new turbo oil drain seals new engine mounts new engine hydraulic stabilizers new vacuum pump new radiator new low pressure fuel lift pump new heavy duty hand primer pump new oil cooler new oil cooler hoses new fan clutch new timing chain new timing chain tensioner new fuel return buffer hose new Parker fuel lines new fuel intake screen in fuel tank new manifold gasket new vacuum fuel shutoff receiver on IP new oil pan new oil pan gasket all new radiator hoses new coolant bypass line new front crank seal new exhaust manifold gasket new vacuum lines new power steering pump filter new braided SS PTFE power steering hose new voltage regulator new glow plugs 2 extra engines of unknown origin Transmission: new Sun Valley transmission new torque converter new TTY bolts new flex plate new kick down switch new shift lever linkage bushings new braided stainless cooler lines new neutral safety switch new transmission mount Driveshaft: rebuilt driveshaft w/center bearing/carrier new flex discs Brakes: new brake booster new master cylinder new PTFE stainless steel brake lines 3 new calipers Interior: new ignition tumbler new steering lock assembly new vacuum fuel shutoff sender dashboard in good condition dashboard treated with premium vinyl wax tachometer functional aftermarket tachometer sender upgrade electronic oil pressure sender VDO oil pressure gauge seat vinyl in fair condition dash in very good shape Misc: deleted A/C deleted EGR deleted PCV Tools: injector pop tester injector shim kit two sets of offset valve adjustment wrenches transmission modulator pressure test kit Extra parts: W115 long runner intake manifold new left-rear quarter panel new left-rear outer wheel well panel extra vacuum pump rebuild kit Literature: Factory service manual CD/ROM Factory electrical diagnostic manual Mercedessource injector tuning guide Mercedessource injector R&R guide much more Known issues: The new transmission was shifting too high and loose between 3-4. The overall shift point can be adjusted with the turn of a screw on the outside of the transmission case, but the shift points in relation to each other require swapping out springs in the valve block. The rear windshield is out because it has to come out to replace the rear quarter panel. Bad right-front wheel bearing Bad turbo exhaust downpipe flex tube The dash has one or two minor cracks, but I kept it There are some barely noticeable creases in the hood I never drove it in the salt/snow On Nov-30-17 at 06:55:00 PST, seller added the following information: Someone backed into the fender in a parking lot, going maybe one mile per hour. It creased the outer fender and inner fender. The damage is limited to those two pieces of sheetmetal.

I’m including in the auction, the two NOS panels I acquired directly from Mercedes, required to put the body back to the way it was before with no compromise. Getting any kind of good result with just body filler is impossible, but any competent home mechanic can change out the panels in a few weekends with a cutoff wheel and spot welder. It gives the new owner a chance to patch the minor rust at the corners of the back wind sheld, and replace the tacky pieces of 300D stock trim that cover the upper panel seam with body filler on both sides, if desired. 

The inner trunk panel has to be tack welded in place with a few temporary struts leading to somewhere inside the trunk while the panels are replaced. I was planning on doing this myself in my garage with a harbor freight spot welder and my multi master and then have it painted at a local body shop. 

It’s still easier to do the body work on this car than replace all the stuff I replaced on a car that doesn’t need the bodywork.