Mercedes engine conversion

[BRIAN]

Look for a salvage 500e and swap everything over. There was someone in CT posting on EBAY. You then get everything in one stop deal even the wider body parts. Heck for about $10k you get a complete good car. LS will be $8k with used parts and you still dealing with suspension and rear.

$15-18 are realistic numbers for a done car that will have value.



LS will fit. Any V8 should fit just use simple tubular crossmember.

[steinepstein]

It looks like you can get 275s under the rear with the flared e500 fenders, if that is the case, then yes, I am in. This will save me a lot of headaches, thanks. I'm not seeing anything different, geometry wise, between the rear suspension on an E500 and the other Es, except bigger sway bars, so I think I am fine. Oh yea, and the differential is an issue, so I am down to that issue.

[amcya]

the best option for keeping the mercedes rear suspension is to swap in a late GTO diff and 2-piece driveshaft. The diff and driveshaft have the same design as the benz. It shouldnt take much work to mount the diff and the driveshaft could be shortened or lengthened as needed. Custom half-shafts can be purchased from Mark Williams Enterprises.
Here is a diff on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...item256519cab7

[parsonsj]

Rick, this sounds like fun. Keep us posted!

[Olav]

Scroll down this site. This is a w124 with a ZR1 engine. Built here in Norway MANY years ago.

http://home.online.no/~tohesy/friends.html

[cobragt]

This should get really interesting. Need pics!!!!!

[hotroddr]

One of my cars is a 95 mercedes E300 diesel, The car is an amazing piece of machinery. There where no corners cut when it was designed. Mine has wheels off of a newer mercedes which fit with only minor rolling of the fender lips. It fits 245 tires in the back and 225 tires in the front no problem without the flared fenders.I always have liked the look of the 94-95 front end which will swap right over to yours. I think you will be really happy with the car if you go through with the project. Did you end up getting it?

[Olav]

One of my cars is a 95 mercedes E300 diesel, The car is an amazing piece of machinery. There where no corners cut when it was designed. Mine has wheels off of a newer mercedes which fit with only minor rolling of the fender lips. It fits 245 tires in the back and 225 tires in the front no problem without the flared fenders.I always have liked the look of the 94-95 front end which will swap right over to yours. I think you will be really happy with the car if you go through with the project. Did you end up getting it?

Most of the parts like the diesel fenders with airvents, hood from a .94/95 and the lower side panels and fenders from -90 ( facelift) really makes the car look better.

[steinepstein]

Thanks for the tip on the GTO diff, that is a great solution and cheap. I downloaded all wiring diagrams and found several owners that were disabling the ASR. So once you disable ASR you can run a mechanical posi setup. There is a guy doing an 1993 400SEL build on LS1tech, looking good so far:

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/conver...l-ls-swap.html

My guess is that you will have to disable ASR, SLS, and most likely the ABS. The computer systems are a detachable designs with the ability to (probably) jumper out the systems and therefore disable easily with having to reprogram stuff. Here is a link to the ASR defeat. About halfway down the page under "performance.."

For now, I am fixing my SLS and driving it until winter....I will build an engine stand for the LY6/4l80E combo in the meantime and get it fired up.

http://www.2phast.com/500e/

[Rick Dorion]

I haven't bought it yet. The owner has this 'thought' that the wagon is going up in value. With no maintenance history and the coolant puking episode I'll keep looking/waiting. I do love the engineering on them and this car is so solid. I just don't want the drivetrain

[steinepstein]

Even with that blown head gasket, I bet that engine, trans, and harness will go for a decent price.

[steinepstein]

I just bought an 05/06 GTO diff from Clev Pick a Part for $250. That is a great deal. You can barely get em for that price on most of the boards. Thanks for the tip!

[amcya]

Send em an email and see if you can get the driveshaft and half shafts too.

Here is a 190E with an LS swap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3lyl5LSdyo

http://190rev.net/forums/showthread....&highlight=ls1

Keep in mind that he had to ditch the steering and go with a rack and there is some major rework done on that cross member.

I will post some pics of mine as soon as i regain access to my files! Stupid computers!

[steinepstein]

Thanks for the tip, I called em back and they are getting those ready for me. Maybe I need to get started earlier than this winter.....

What is your opinion on the SLS rear suspension system? Still trying to figure that one out. I was thinking about removing it and installing a Ride Tech shock wave in the rear. I'd probably drop a couple hundred pounds off the car by removing all the hydraulics and possibly get some more space in the rear for bigger tires by removing the shock that is located directly next to the tire.

[amcya]

Ditch the SLS. You can get Eibach (or many other mfg's) springs for SLS or standard cars. The standard springs will go right in your car and work perfectly. The SLS springs are just softer to work with the system.

[steinepstein]

I agree. I wanna get rid of hassles. Get this thing down to hot rod form. There is a market for all of these parts. I'm gonna begin my strip down when it decides to drop back below 95 degrees. ABS, ASR, SLS, and all the quirky engine stuff...goodbye. Thanks for the great tip on the GTO stuff, man that is a good deal, I was very happy with Cleveland Pick a Part, no haggling and good prices.

[SickSpeedMonte]

I love those wheels hotroddr. I have an '07 C230 Sport, and it should have the 6 spoke wheels on it but I have those on instead just because they look so much nicer. Now a set of springs and a lip and I'll be in good shape.

[amcya]

don't ditch the ABS! it will stand alone. Also, Mercedes did us all a favor and made most of the brake components interchangeable with other models. Look in the brake section of the 190rev.net site. Your wagon may already have big brakes...take measurements and see if the rotors are the same as a 1992-3 400E. If not, look for calipers and rotors from a 400E or 500E from those years. slotted and drilled replacement rotors are available. There are threads on that site that show you what parts you need. Direct replacement S.S. brake lines are available too (Summit racing has em). Your stock master cylinder will be good to go.

[steinepstein]

Haha, ok, getting a little ahead of myself. But I will have to find some kind of reluctor wheel to match what the ABS sensor is viewing and install that in the GTO diff.

[NagChampa]

I always thought a 4200 vortec would be a nice way to go.