I'm pretty much as ignorant as they come, but I'm also not particularly shy about sharing what little ignorance I've managed to cure at great expense (financial, emotional, mental... You name it) to myself. A few years ago we decided as a family to do two things: Get 100% off-grid and convert as many gas-powered devices to diesel-powered devices. So far we've got one gas-powered device left and that's the VX (motorcycles don't count, yet), which is why it now does short haul and I'm doing the long driving with the TDI Jetta. But along the way there I've got a number of Ford and Caterpillar diesel tractors to care for, not to mention a Thew-Lorain dragline with a DD 4-71 and an IHC Transtar cabover with a DD 8V71. And there was the recent Mercedes diesel interest which currently numbers five cars, so if you're interested in a vintage diesel Benz...

If you've got a local vocational school look into an evening diesel course if time permits. Reason is, the general rule of thumb when dealing with mechanics on "special projects" is to double their estimate and prepare for triple. Plus diesel engines are incredibly simple compared to gas, and you'll be amazed at the simple stuff you can do yourself. It will require an investment in proper tools, and you never skimp on tools! But things that your mechanic might pop a few hundred for you can usually do for just a few bucks and and hour or so of your time. Prime example is injector tuning and balance. Very important on a diesel and where you can get some good economy and performance, but it can set you back at the shop. I ended up building my own injector tester for less than $80 so now I can take 'em apart and rebuild at my leisure. Used injectors can be had cheap on eBay or craigslist, where I just picked up a set of 16 for my 6.2L CUCV. I picked up an M35A2 recently so now I can look for injectors for that as well, so I can rebuild a full set just to have on hand.

There are a lot of good resources out there, but consequently hundreds times as much misinformation. Take your time, compare and RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. Anyone like me can be spouting off about this or that without knowing squat to lead you down the gilded path, so check it out.