B737-300 CAPT REPORTS DISCOVERING AFTER THE FACT THAT HE HAS FLOWN AN ACFT WITH AN MEL THAT CAN ONLY BE APPLIED TO THE B737NG.

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BOTTOM LINE; I MISREAD THE MEL. OUR MAINT CTL/MECH DEFERRED AN ITEM THAT WAS APPROPRIATE FOR A B737- (6; 7; OR 800) BUT DID NOT APPLY TO THE B737-300 THAT WE WERE FLYING. THE ITEM WAS 32-14 THAT DEALS WITH THE MAIN TIRES STILL SPINNING WHEN THE GEAR IS PLACED IN THE UP POS. I ACCEPTED THE ACFT WITH A RESTR OF LEAVING THE GEAR DOWN FOR 2 MINS AFTER TKOF TO LET THE WHEELS STOP SPINNING BEFORE RETRACTION; MAKES SENSE TO ME AND I COMPLIED; THE ITEM ALSO REFERRED TO A PERFORMANCE PENALTY TO BE SUPPLIED BY DISPATCH; THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PENALTY; I FLEW THE ACFT ASSUMING THAT IF WE WERE TO ACTUALLY LOSE AN ENG DURING THIS PHASE OF FLT THAT I WOULD BRING UP THE GEAR AND SIMPLY LET THE WHEELS VIBRATE IN THE WHEELWELL. AFTER THE 2 LEGS THAT I HAVE FLOWN BEFORE DISCOVERING THE ERROR; I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTN OF MAINT CTL; THEY AGREED WITH ME AND (AS FAR AS I KNOW A VALVE WAS REPLACED AND THE ACFT FIXED BEFORE FURTHER FLT). THE MAIN REASON I AM SENDING THIS INFO -- WHEN I FLY I RECEIVE ABOUT 1 INCH THICK OF PAPER -- I HAVE AN HR OR SO TO PREPARE AN ACFT FOR FLT. SUGGESTION -- WE NEED SOME WAY OF STREAMLINING INFO TO PEOPLE IN THIS BUSINESS THAT HAVE AN HR TO PREPARE AN ACFT FOR FLT (PLTS; MECH; ETC) AND PROBABLY NOT COMBINE MULTIPLE TYPES OF ACFT IN THE SAME MANUAL SUCH AS THE MEL.