Engine Rebuild

[bloeff]

Hi everybody,:)

I'm a new member and look forward to picking all your brains!:offtopic:
I'm rebuilding a 78 Mercedes 300D engine and have spent a lot of time on the internet looking for a complete engine and camshaft/valve rebuild kit, but haven't come up with much:mad: ! Could anyone direct me to a web site that might be helpful??:confused:

Thanks,
bloeff

[pbasil1]

Welcome to the forums! I have just searched a little for anything about kits or info sites on these cars, and came up with very little. Though auto parts warehouse seems to have a good selection of replcaement parts for it!

http://replacement.autopartswarehouse.com/parts/autopartswarehouse/parts.jsp?year=1978&make=MB&model=300-D-002&part_name=null

[bloeff]

Hi,

Thanks for your quick response!:) I'll give auto parts warehouses a shot for individual parts, but I'd really like to get kits if possible to save $$:p

Thanks again,
bloeff

[bloeff]

Hi everybody!:)

My search has led me to a local machine shop that comes highly recommended. I gave them a call and they have access to a company that can provide me with all the kits I need. :thumb: My :swearing: days in this phase of the rebuild seem to be over!! I look forward to hearing from anybody that has any advise to give me. This is my first rebuild!! :eek:

Thanks,
bloeff

[pbasil1]

Add a few little performance features to the motor while its in pieces... And also now it the time to clean and paint it a pretty color. You could port and polist the heads your self with a dremel or something similar. Possible find some headers? Dont really know whats out there for that motor...

But good luck anyways! Take some pics for us throughout the process!

[apavlov13]

It's a diesel?

[pbasil1]

It's a diesel?

Only the best! Ide love to have a small diesel under my hood!:)

[bloeff]

This is great! This is the first forum I've participated in and I'm blown away by the interest that my project has generated! You guys are great! Let me throw something out there and see what you all think. Right now I'm relying on the machine shop to hot tank the block and head, check for cracks, bore, and look over the crankshaft. I'm planning on rebuilding the valve train myself with all new parts. Chilton goes into great detail with valves. I'm just a beginner :D , but it seems to me that all new parts will give me the longest engine life. I'm also applying this logic to the block and planning a bore and oversized pistons. I know this will cost me a lot more money, but again I'm looking for long engine life. This Mercedes has one solid body and there's no sign of rust. I believe it can keep up with the engine. But I'm open to being talked out of this :wave2: if someone has had a good experience with resleeving, a good valve job, and reusing as many parts as possible. Let me know what you think!
Thanks again.

[pbasil1]

well surely the larger piston would be great, but thats not always necessary. Many engines when rebuilt dont even need anything done to the cylinders or pistons. You may just want to have that machine shop take a look at it and give you a suggestion as to whether it need bored over or can be used the way it is with minor effects.

Rebuilding the valve train with all new parts is a good idea. Those usually always wear out on most motors after a long life of use. Also for this new engine build, why not redo some suspension, this will help give the car a like new ride feel, so the car will seem like its brand new.

[bloeff]

Thanks for the rebuilding advise! Here is a pic of the "beast"!

http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o250/bloeff/th_Picture006.jpg

This is my first rebuild and I was a bit concerned when I dropped the engine about 1 foot onto the garage floor as I was transferring it from the hoist to the stand :eek: :doh: ..... until I talked to a friend at work who has rebuilt several engines and dropped one off of a bridge!!! He said the heads were cracked but the block was fine. :) So I don't think I hurt this old monster! I'll try to keep you all updated with pics as I go along.

P.S. This was my first experience sharing pics on the net. It seems that the pic has to be a URL. I looked at the properties of other shared pics and it led me to photobuckets.com. If anyone has a better suggestion, let me know. Also if anybody knows how to display a larger image, if possible on this forum, let me know. Thanks again for all your help.

[pbasil1]

I use rigshowcase.com If you upload a lerger pic, then it should display at whatever size its uploaded as... but be sure to see what the max size is...
I personally dont like any larger than 1024x768, and prefere 800x600. It loads better and is easier to see on most web pages.

[apavlov13]

Make sure the oil pan didn't get dented enough to interfere with the crank.

[bloeff]

Thanks for the pic info! The oil pan was actually off when it dropped, as I had to remove it to unseize the crankshaft...to remove the torque converter bolts... you know the rest of the story. But it landed on its side on that big foot thing that bolts onto the engine mount and stayed on its side without the crankshaft making contact with the garage floor ... thank God! Thanks again for the feedback and I'll keep you guys updated on my progress.

[bloeff]

Hi everybody,

Let me throw a few things out there and see what you guys think. I've spoken to several professionals and they have talked me out of a bore and oversized pistons. I'll have the machine shop look over all the parts and make recommendations. Would resleeving create longer engine life, even if the cylinders show no appreciable wear? What do you think of hard chrome sleeves? Some mechanics have told me that a properly reconditioned valve will actually outlast a new valve? Is this true, or is it self-serving? If its true, then I'll get a valve job. If not, then I'll rebuild the head myself with all new parts. Let me know what you think. In either case, if the head is rebuilt first, what is its "shelf life" and how should I store it? What about the block and the rest of the car? The car is sitting under my car port. The previous owner did an amateur restoration. I've owned the car for more than a year and there are no visible signs of rust. Do you recommend a car cover?

Thanks,

bloeff

[apavlov13]

Man, these engines last forever as-is, and you want to re-sleeve? As for the valves, if they are worn past factory tolerances, you have no choice but to get new ones. The car-cover: I would recommend a garage.

[pbasil1]

Rebuild the heads yourself, And im sure what the experts meant was a properly rebuilt valve can last just as long as a new one, if they are both treated equaly. I would the chrome sleeves a try too. As for the rebuild heads shelf life, as long as they stay bone dry (as in no moisture in the air too), and oiled, they should last for years, but you dont need them to. Anyways its typical to do the heads last, for thats sometimes the hardest part of a rebuild, and the last major thing left in the build.

[bloeff]

Rebuild the heads yourself, And im sure what the experts meant was a properly rebuilt valve can last just as long as a new one, if they are both treated equaly. I would the chrome sleeves a try too. As for the rebuild heads shelf life, as long as they stay bone dry (as in no moisture in the air too), and oiled, they should last for years, but you dont need them to. Anyways its typical to do the heads last, for thats sometimes the hardest part of a rebuild, and the last major thing left in the build.

Thanks for the info! I'll keep you updated on my progress.:)
Thanks,
bloeff