1980 Mercedes G-Wagen 300GD (I-5 3.0L diesel) LWB 4spd aka"Radio Flyer"
It’s time for me to consolidate from 3 vehicles to one(aiming for an ’04 G500 to use as a daily driver and expedition vehicle), so my 1980 300GD (I-5 3.0L diesel) LWB 4spd manual needs to find a new loving home. I’m offering it to the ExPo and G-Wagen community first, before I offer it to the global community at large, as I’d much rather see another Overlanding/G aficionado with it vs someone who won’t take care of it properly.
My ’80 300GD was federalized into Portland, OR in '81 and has been garaged (I’ve garaged it solely and the 2nd owner I bought it from had garaged it. We estimate that the original owner garaged it as well as he was a wealthy paper tycoon who must have had the garage space to do so, plus the lack of rust and factory paint still looking amazing tells alot). I have the original paperback owners manuals, stacks of receipts and also all of the original federalization paperwork from DOT/NHTSA including pics of the vehicle at the time(these are helpful as some of the dash switches are custom to this truck due to federalization), even the original customs invoice when the vehicle came over from Bremerhaven, the NHTSA importation letter from Rena Lee, etc.
The truck was ordered with the very rare factory Rotzler winch(this is worth about $3000 in its own right, very difficult to find anymore), barn/ambulance doors, OEM "MB Tex" square basketweave vinyl upholstery, etc. Here are all of the option codes the truck was ordered with, as taken from the VIN’s data card;
A70 DIFFERENTIAL LOCK FRONT AXLE
A71 DIFFERENTIAL LOCK REAR AXLE
C70 BUMPER IN THE BACK TWO-PIECE
E40 TRAILER SOCKET 7 pin
E51 SHORT-RANGE INTERFERENCE SUPPRESSION, CLOSE SCREENING (Radio interference suppression for the electrical system. Used primarily in Military, Police and Fire applications where radios were used in the truck)
E54 ANTENNA
F66 GLOVE COMPARTMENT LOCKABLE
G52 ROPE HOIST ROTZLER IN FRONT, ELECTRICAL, LOTS (Rotzler front winch)
G75 SPEEDOMETER ADAPTER, WAY NUMBER OF REVOLUTIONS RECONCILIATION (Speedometer drive with ratio based upon axle ratio and tire size)
H20 HEAT ABSORBING/DAMMING GLASS (Wrap around glass, heat absorbing—ie factory bronze tinted glass)
J33 CLOCK
L12 HEADLIGHT HALOGEN
L16 FOG HEADLIGHT HALOGEN
L18 REAR FOGLIGHT
L66 ADDITIONAL INTERIOR LAMP, ABOVE REAR END DOOR
M74 RADIATOR GUARD, ENGINE UNDERSHIELD
Q53 TRAILER COUPLING, BALL-HEAD TYPE, LOW MOUNTED
Q58 TOWING CLUTCH IN FRONT (Front tow pin bumper. The German word would have been Kupplung, which translates to connection and in automotive use, clutch)
R69 SPARE WHEEL CARRIER SWIVEL TYPE, SPARE WHEEL OWNER TILTABLE (Swing out spare tire mount, used with barn doors)
S30 DRIVER SEAT HEADREST
S32 CO-DRIVER SEAT HEADREST
S64 SEAT BENCH SAFETY BELTS
U40 SEAT COVER IN SINGLE-COLORED IMITATION LEATHER
V18 INTERIOR EQUIPMENT BLACK
V22 INTERIOR TRIM, UPGRADED VERSION
V34 GRAB HANDLE AND INSTRUMENT PANEL PADDED
V47 TRAY WITH HOT-AIR GUIDE (Center tray between the front seats with hot air blowing out the rear of the tray.)
Y10 FIRST AID BOX
Y16 FIRE EXTINGUISHER
Y44 WARNING TRIANGLE
3002 Carmine Red color
It does have an engine block heater, so perhaps that was added later. It has had the engine professionally rebuilt, transmission replaced, always serviced, $17k invoice for full heater system renovation due to a small mouse that made a home in the heater box, etc etc. No expense has been spared. After I bought it over a year ago, I gave the emblems/lug bolts/wheel center caps the factory Military Black treatment, swapped from amber markers to OEM clear(and then had them professionally lightly smoked to tie in with the Military Black theme), general cleaning, upgraded any hardware I touched to stainless steel, sourced spares of the rear marker and custom rear auxiliary brake lights(what are usually reflectors inset of the taillights were upgraded to a second set of brake lights. These and the rear markers are actually from a Lancia Beta), sourced any components missing(complete OEM first aid kit, rear door ashtray), replaced the aging steering shock with a new OEM W463 unit and new OEM W461 bracket from Eurotruck, changed fluids, bled air from the diff lockers(they work now whereas they didn’t work when I bought the truck), etc. I also had my body shop (they restore classic vehicles, many which have made it to Barrett Jackson) take care of any minor surface rust they could find and then repaint factory Carmine Red, rear insides of barn doors wax coated, battery tray re-coated/repainted, etc. Because the LR door lock was stuck at the time due to lack of use, the only small surface rust bubble that they weren’t able to take care of is on the driver rear door sill. This will be an easy spot fix. The base of the pass front windshield had a spot of rust when I bought it but they touched it up the best they could with the glass in(the cracked front windshield was last on my list to fix). This is the most rusted area on the truck. The truck has NONE of the typical frame/chassis rust, no side sill rust, no taillight area rust, etc. As many of you know, this lack of rust is VERY difficult to find on a W460 G-Wagen.
Full disclosure; 233,000km on the truck, however I don't know the exact mileage as the odometer was stopped when I bought the truck (the wealthy lady I bought it from was just driving the G at times in Portland winters so the vehicle seemed to sit much of the year in their garage). Things I know the truck needs but I haven't fixed yet; the steel fuel tank had been steam cleaned in the past, but it has rust flakes again (as seen in the inline fuel filter—I’ve been changing these as they fill) so the tank will need to be dropped and treated again, injection pump is minorly leaking diesel and the left/right engine mounts have fatigued(the mounts should be replaced after the injection pump is remedied as the left mount is directly under the pump), the cracked front windshield, driver side foglight had a pinhole crack in the lens when I bought it, a “strand” of the seat material on the driver side left seat bottom has started to come unattached from the rest of the seat material (I’ve "mended" it together so it’s holding so far).
The only off-pavement this truck has seen with me has been forest roads (G-Treffen, WA Overland Rally). Knowing the age and disposition of the two previous owners, I doubt they even allowed it on anything but city streets.
I'm at $1x,xxx firm. All of the spares I’ve sourced go with the truck as well as 4x4abc(Harald’s) W460 ultimate workshop DVD (this includes most W460 owners manuals, workshop manual CD, service collection CD, engine/transmission/transfer case manual CD, workshop supplement CD, axle/driveshaft manual CD, G-Wagen TV ads, etc…a $278 value!)
From what I've been told by some of the other long-time G owners on the west coast(Karl, Harald, etc), one may be hard pressed to find another early G in the same or better condition. It's been really well taken care of for a 31yr old truck!
Let me know if you have any questions at all. I'm happy to help.
-Jeremy
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Originally Posted by kchristian
(ie no a/c)
