Meet "Orwell", my Panamerican expedition 300TD

[Delibes]

Hello everybody,
After roaming Heaven and Earth for an original, fun, sensible choice for a vehicle for a future Alaska-to-Argentina trip, I have stumbled across this Euro-spec 300TD Turbo in one of my car delivery errands. I bought it off a very woodie character in rural Ohio. The story of how I got it is worth telling, so I will write about it eventually on my travelogue. The wagon runs like a top, it is fast and does not shake. It needs some suspension parts, and I would like to convert the front windows to manuals.

I will create a separate topic to sell some parts off this wagon to compensate for the whooping $1,200 that it cost me, so I can reinvest them in maintenance to make it a capable overland vehicle. I figured out Newport is just way too nice to beat it up like that.

For the Panamerican trip I will not need 4WD, as it is often believed. I know these cars better than most, they are simple, rugged and dependable enough to trust the 134k miles of wear not to affect its integrity on the way down south.

Here are some pictures!

To compensate for the costs of maintenance, I am going to sell off some of the non-critical parts off this wagon INCLUDING THE EURO CLOTH INTERIOR. The car has 134k miles and it is in overall very good shape, excluding the rust that I mentioned before.

I made a topic (click here) in the parts section with some of the parts I am selling, the ones I need, and some I am just giving away for free.



She's got a bunch of rust at the bottom of the doors, jackpoints and hatch.
The frame and floors are great, though. Should not split in two!



Previous owner redneck-engineered an SLS-delete. Rides just fine, despite some crude repairs.
The bumpers and the hatch are slowly being eaten by rust from the inside...



The interior is the very rare black cloth interior, dirty, but in great shape!
Definitely thankful for those in the 90 degree heat here in Kansas.



Windows work, A/C works, cruise works. Drove me from Ohio!
The wood-grain on the dash strip is impeccable.



Comes equipped with a 3rd row seat and cargo cover hardware.



It also features an untouched German first aid kit and safety triangle!



Despite being federalized, still has the vacuum switch for the headlights!
Also, pay attention to the town-and-country horn switch!

Overall, it is a car that will never be pretty because of all the rust, so it makes a perfect candidate to do some basic maintenance, some preventive replacements, drive it down to Argentina and sell it there for scrap once I am done with the trip. Just not worthed to drive/ship it back. Or is it? It has the M-Pump (will take with me once it's done with) and the turbo, which make it WAY faster than Newport (USA), and parts all over the Americas should correspond to the European models should I need them.

Tell me what you think!

[Aquaticedge]

Interesting, hopefully it'll do the travels well

[Delibes]

To compensate for the costs of maintenance, I am going to sell off some of the non-critical parts off this wagon. The car has 134k miles and it is in overall very good shape, excluding the rust that I mentioned before.

I made a topic (click here) in the parts section with some of the parts I am selling, the ones I need, and some I am just giving away for free.

[Fulcrum525]

The rust doesn't look that bad or are these just the wrong pictures?

[TylerH860]

Oh, its bad. Miguel needs to do some close up of the carnage. Most of it has been touched up body color so it does photograph nicely.

[Delibes]

Okay, by popular request, here are some pictures of the rust...



Okay, so all jack points kind of look like this. Frame is fine.



Ahhh, the carnage, the carnage!



Front spoiler, what front spoiler?



Rear bumper, as rare as it is, has become WORTHLESS.



The hatch closes solidly, sometimes leaving flakes on the ground. Sorry, Tyler!



The doors are rotting inside out. Should last enough to get me to Argentina!



Behold this stout feat of redneck engineering in the control arm. A STEEL PLATE!

[kerry]

There is a thread on here somewhere by a member who drove to Tierra Del Fuego in a 116SD. Transmission failed right near the destination.

[kerry]

That's an awful lot of rust for a transcontinental expedition.

[kerry]

Drove from LA to the tip of South America 1980 300SD

[Delibes]

Yep, this guy!



The rust does not worry me. I do need a rear control arm, but the rest of the frame is solid. Should fare fine, and still be crappy enough to scrap once I arrive to the tip of the continent.

[bamba]

I wish you the best of luck. Long road trips are the best! The ability of these cars to reliably perform on these endurance trips is a true testament to Mercedes engineering. Especially when they are 25+ years old.

Some preliminary questions:

How far out is your departure date?
What maintenance will you perform beforehand?
What tools and spare parts are you taking?
(Follow-up: How do you plan to swap on a spare tire? You might want to bring a hydraulic jack, with those jackpoints...)
How are you handling fueling? What's the anticipated longest distance between diesel stops?
How will you traverse the Darien Gap?

[Delibes]

How far out is your departure date?
I plan of leaving in a year or two, but not later than that. I am lucky to have this wagon so early, I can really test it and get the "feel" of it. Same chassis, but a completely different animal from Newport.

What maintenance will you perform beforehand?
A lot of suspension parts, mainly rubber. Brakes, of course. All, if not most, seals. All hoses. All lines. Fluids. Axles. Bearings. All these little things that have a chance of failing and causing large -and costly- delays.

What tools and spare parts are you taking?
The Mercedes W123 is a world-class car, so I an easily find spares anywhere in the continent, in a dealership, worst comes to worst. With me, I will take a bunch of lines (fuel, vacuum, rubber), brake pads, fluids, nuts, bolts, alternator brushes, clamps, tons of JBWeld, tons of fuses, gaskets, seals, vacuum elements, relays... little stuff. Probably the biggest things I should take would be a spare caliper, suspension parts or even some glass.

How do you plan to swap on a spare tire?
I need a hydraulic jack without question. Those are also very handy if I get stuck, so I can work it with ramps/winch/whatever necessary.

How are you handling fueling?
Most definitely need extra tank(s) or jerry cans. It is too risky to run out of fuel in such a long journey, especially through remote areas.

What's the anticipated longest distance between diesel stops?
I still have not planned the route, so I'll get back to the forums on that.

How will you traverse the Darien Gap.
There is no choice, I have to put the car in a container. Should be $1.5k-2k. Ouchie, I know...

[bamba]

Sounds like you're thinking things through well ahead of time. You can never be too prepared for these trips. Well, you might be too prepared if you have so much gear that won't fit in the wagon

I was going to say, in terms of pre-trip maintenance, wheel bearings are a must. Even more so if you don't know the last time they were repacked or replaced. My cousin had a front wheel bearing go out on the Alcan -- NOT fun.

You seem pretty confident that you can find parts while on the road. While that may be true in larger cities, I suspect that you'll be traveling through some pretty desolate areas. Even in Canada and Alaska, you'll be several hundred -- maybe even over 1000 miles -- from the nearest MB dealer or well-stocked import parts supplier. There isn't a MB dealer between Edmonton, AB and Fairbanks, AK, for example. I guess I'm saying that in very remote areas, you might be up a creek... That's where a strategic onboard spare parts bin becomes essential.

Re: fuel, jerry cans are convenient. Especially if you can source some mil-spec ones that you can lie flat on the roof.

Unreal that the Darien Gap requires a container for $1-2k. Can't they run a car / passenger ferry for cheaper?

Anyway, I did the Alcan roundtrip in 2009, and several other forum members have done it as well. As you get further along with your planning, I'm sure that we'll have some advice / opinions to share, if that's what you seek.

[gingerkid]

Wow my initial thought was how in the world to get across the Panama/Colombia border but it looks like others have covered that topic. There are routes but let me tell you... safety first. That $1-2k is probably worth it. Its expensive because the other option could cost you a lot more. I totally admire you for this, I've dreamed of doing the same trip starting from Florida. Considered an old Toyota 4x4, but an OM617 powered vehicle sounds great! Best of luck and be sure to document the trip and keep us posted!

[SwampYankee]

Outstanding, Miguel! Love that interior (too bad it wasn't blue ). As always, looking forward to your updates and travelogues.

But c'mon, we've got to wait a year or two???