W108 Mercedes 280SE diesel conversion project

[pryantcc]

Great stuff - well worth knowing, I wonder if they had that in mind when desigining the hole in the bottom of the wishbone? My Midget presented a similar problem when I came to re-assemble it, although it's all a lot smaller and lighter of course.

What's the brown shiny stuff all over the spring and lower arm? I almost hesitate to ask.....

I think the hole is for some elaborate Mercedes "special tool" which probably does the whole job a lot more safely!
Brown shiny stuff is wet cavity wax!

[alabbasi]

Subframe being built up:

Those will clean up quite nicely. Here's the one from my 280SL

[pryantcc]

Big step yesterday, a friend of a friend seems to have sorted out my ECU for the donor engine. He disabled the immobiliser stuff somehow. The test yesterday was to unplug the CAN bus connector from the ignition switch and start the car. To be sure to be sure, I'll disconnect the switch altogether and "hotwire" it over the next few days so that I'm certain that the Mercedes Drive Authorisation System doesn't care that there's no fancy key involved any more.

I'm so relieved that this is working as its an area in which I have no skills whatsoever and has the potential to derail the whole project.

In other news, I removed the bumpers as I wanted to blast the bracketry and frame work which holds them on. I found that the rear was so bad that it will require some significant reconstruction. The front is OK and will just need to be cleaned up and painted. The chrome itself is OK, at least in the visible parts, so I wont be going near that for now!

[cdodgyd]

Hi, I've only just discovered this thread but I can offer an insight into a similar car.
I've been driving a diesel W108 for 6 years as a daily driver. Pics attached.
I restored it myself. It didn't need the work you've been putting into yours but it did need 3 new doors and a respray, plus the engine transplant of course.
Mine is the traditional 3L OM617 all mechanical diesel with manual 'box out of an early 80's W123 donor car.
Its easily the most reliable classic I've ever owned (and there's been quite a few!). It also has the massive advantage of being very cheap to run with free tax and classic insurance of course but the really big saving, that doesn't seem to have been mentioned, is that the older diesels run perfectly on cooking oil with little or no modifications.
I reckon I've saved more than I paid for the car, including restoration costs, in fuel bills since I've owned it!
I'll keep this post brief but any info you might require, let me know.

[pryantcc]

Hi, I've only just discovered this thread but I can offer an insight into a similar car.
I've been driving a diesel W108 for 6 years as a daily driver. Pics attached.
I restored it myself. It didn't need the work you've been putting into yours but it did need 3 new doors and a respray, plus the engine transplant of course.
Mine is the traditional 3L OM617 all mechanical diesel with manual 'box out of an early 80's W123 donor car.
Its easily the most reliable classic I've ever owned (and there's been quite a few!). It also has the massive advantage of being very cheap to run with free tax and classic insurance of course but the really big saving, that doesn't seem to have been mentioned, is that the older diesels run perfectly on cooking oil with little or no modifications.
I reckon I've saved more than I paid for the car, including restoration costs, in fuel bills since I've owned it!
I'll keep this post brief but any info you might require, let me know.

Great to hear a success story! PM sent with some questions!

[rich.]

Hi, I've only just discovered this thread but I can offer an insight into a similar car.
I've been driving a diesel W108 for 6 years as a daily driver. Pics attached.
I restored it myself. It didn't need the work you've been putting into yours but it did need 3 new doors and a respray, plus the engine transplant of course.
Mine is the traditional 3L OM617 all mechanical diesel with manual 'box out of an early 80's W123 donor car.
Its easily the most reliable classic I've ever owned (and there's been quite a few!). It also has the massive advantage of being very cheap to run with free tax and classic insurance of course but the really big saving, that doesn't seem to have been mentioned, is that the older diesels run perfectly on cooking oil with little or no modifications.
I reckon I've saved more than I paid for the car, including restoration costs, in fuel bills since I've owned it!
I'll keep this post brief but any info you might require, let me know.

lovely car.. whats it like on the motorway??

[cdodgyd]

Thanks guys,

Clutch pedal pics as requested. The car was auto but has had the manual stuff added from a W123 Merc. You can see the master cylinder poking out above the carpet as well as close-up.

Thought I'd add a dash pic. One of my favourite mods was to add a diesel rev counter where the clock used to be (relocated that). It was quite complex, involving opening up the alternator and tapping an electrical connection inside to the adjustable aftermarket tachometer. I picked up how to do it online.

Motorway cruising is fine. It'll do 80mph all day and it'll eventually hit the ton if you really want to. It may be normally aspirated but it is 3L!
Revs were a bit high as the axle is of course geared to the original 2.8 petrol. However I found van tyres of full profile 215 width just fitted inside the wheelarches. Now 3500 rpm is 78mph. I get an average of 28mpg on veg oil.

[rich.]

thanks!! would you consider doing a 7 hour motorway drive in it? i always wanted an mr2 (not quite the same) but after spending 2 days bringing it back from blighty all motorway work with a rather bored 2 year old daughter screaming in my ear most of the way id had enough & now all my cars most be able to do the trip quietly

[pryantcc]

Thanks Chris!
I'll need to do something about a speedo myself and may include your tacho mod too. I like that idea!

[cdodgyd]

I'd never drive for 7 hours on a motorway in any car! I don't like travelling on them unless I have to.
However, I have no doubt the old girl would do it. The 617 engine is virtually indestructible.

I have done about 250 miles in a day a few times, going on holiday in the UK but only part of it on motorways. BTW, the 82L tank gives a range of over 450 miles!
If its noise you're concerned with, remember its a car based on 1960's technology and its inherently noisier than modern stuff. A diesel is louder than a petrol too. However, its fairly quiet even at high speeds.
For entertainment, apart from the original Blaupunkt radio I have wired an amplifier in the boot to some original speakers in the rear parcel shelf and connect it directly to my phone (which has music on it). That way only a single hidden wire is needed going to the front and a hideous modern stereo in the dash is avoided.
I've done this in all my classics incidently.

In my last job I commuted 50 miles a day in the Merc. I remember getting through an IBC (1000L) of free, date expired oil in less than 6 months doing so, ha ha!
I'm not going to reveal the source of the oil sorry but that was a one off anyway. However, that's a saving of over £1300 compared with diesel to give you some idea.