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Comments
It turns out that there was a rubber connector in the fuel line somewhere back towards the gas tank, and all the pulling and pushing and yanking, with getting the old tank off and the new one on, ended up ripping that rubber part.
Now, I don't know if a 1960 Mopar's fuel line would be similar, but it could be possible that there's a similar rubber part back there that's got a hole in it, and not allowing enough fuel to get through. Now if you had a leak like that, you'd think you'd see or smell spilled fuel. But I didn't with my Dart. I think the torn part was at a spot high enough that the fuel in the tank wouldn't drain out, but then it still seems to me that the fuel already in the line, between the rupture and the engine, would drain out. :confuse: But, maybe not. I did have the car jacked up in the rear to get to the tank, so maybe that was enough of an angle to keep it in?
Anyway, my guess would be that there's sediment at the bottom of the fuel tank that's blocking the flow. Probably wouldn't be too surprising for a car that's almost 50 years old.
Also I have bad news---I think the car will be slower with the Mustang engine, unless you are putting out significantly over 250HP. Of course, if your current engine is tired and ornery, you might notice a difference, but the stock car when new should have done 0-60 in about 8.5 seconds....given the porkiness of the 450SL I don't see how the 5.0 Mustang in stock form is going to better that by very much.
Thanks,
Tim
Fortunately I have tons of valuable resources and I am a custom heavy duty Truck mechanic and My brother has been in the parts business for 20 years.
I am fabricating motor and transmission mounts for this swap.. At my job we have a person that specializes in drive trains, he will be cutting my mercedes driveshaft and will weld it to a chevy yoke for the transmission, then he will balance it. This will allow the use of my mercedes rear end.
I have done the measurements and research and this seems like one of the easiest ways to install a more affordable and more powerful motor. Let me know if I can help anyone!!!
I am building a replacement front crossmember for the w107 body. This solves all the clearance problems with the steering box. And it doesn't matter if it's a Ford or Chevolet you will have clearance problems.
I will also be offering a rear suspension kit. It will be a three link with watts linkage to support a 8.8 or 9 inch Ford.
Why the major up-grades you ask? Well I'm installing an injected 468 inch big block Chevy backed by a T-56 six speed and a 9inch Ford. Oh did I mention it's turbocharged?
This otta make this pig junp!
If you want, you can start your own www.carspace.com pages, and post photos there. It's also a great way for you to store your own restoration record in one place. Let us know when you do that, if you do.
As for California, if you install a '76 motor, in theory you'd have to pass '76 emissions testing. As a '73 car, there is no smog testing required, so you may never have to deal with this issue unless CHP stops you and wants to bust you for an engine swap. Not likely.
I think a 350SL differential could handle a normal 305's torque but not that stroker motor! The Mercedes overall structure is very solid so I'm pretty sure you won't get any chassis twisting----but you know, that depends on how much power we are talking about. I've certainly seen big block motors twist and crack stock frames.
Are either of you expecting difficulty in getting the stock shifter console to sit properly on the floor pan, or will you have to build something there? Will the AC still work (not that it ever did on a 350SL )
The turocharged big block will reach 700HP on pump gas, and yes the A/C will be retained and steering will be upgraded to power rack and pinion. I'm going to go with the stock climate control for now because everything works but if anything fails it will all be replaced with a Vintage Air system.
And remember. The front suspension conversion will be a bolt in. The rear suspension may take a bit more than a "bolt in", we'll see.
Secondly if anybody is familiar with 450SL rear ends please tell me if there is another Mercedes that has direct replacement third member with lower gears than the stock 3.07. I searched books, aftermarket manufacturers and wrecking yards but so far everything I've found looks like a major change. The 240D looks to small to mess with and the larger car have higher gears then the 450.
please advise,
LM
The model 250 1975-1985 was a 3.92 but that's a 6 cylinder car, so I dunno...
I know I'm jumping in amongst a number of SL swappers, but I'll be "dropping" my bowtie 402 big block into a freshly purchased '84 300CD. Not a beauty, but she's solid and no rust. Body and paint will come after she's road worthy... maybe
Very interested in cross members and options for Ford 9" installations even though I'll be trying the stock rear for the initial go. It's just too cheap to cut-and-balance drive lines when you have all the parts for both Chevy and MBZ.
I get the illusion that there are a number of converted MBZs out there, but they're harder to find than expected. I was beginning to think the only connection was the guy that swapped his Rustoleum-Flat-Black 190e in to a V8 to do bigger drifter-burns..... Thanks for hosting this thread. There IS comfort in numbers, if not safety!
Cheers for now,
Jerry.
At the Vancouver Auto Show this year a customizer had a 190SL with some form of Corvette engine. It was also beautifully done, but certainly a way to burn a lot of money.
But really underneath the chassis, brakes, steering, etc. of a 190SL has very humble entry-level sedan underpinnings, so the V8 engine is only the FIRST thing you'd have to do to avoid driving a death trap.
At least with a 280SL you get a car that is competent in handling and braking from the get-go.
Interior shot
Another angle
and the exterior
I saw a 190SL with a Chevy V-6 installed and it didn't require any alteration per se. It moved out smartly, too and looks perfectly stock.
I'd like to see such a conversion with another MB engine. If one wants power, 5.4L V8, AMG-tuned, is known to be relatively bulletproof and is capable of a lot of mods. The old M103 and M104 I6 engines are very solid too.
Also I find American engines rather unattractive unless they have cladding on them. They look like crude foundry iron with chrome stuck on them.
Modern American V8s are more attractive as they are "dressed".
My two cents is that if you are doing a V8 conversion into a pretty little foreign car, you've got to take care to do it right, and remember what you are building here. No headers, sensible mufflers, sensible intake system (a cut out air scoop on an SL---now REALLY) and tasteful wheels that match the car's lines and time period.
And balance that engine, flywheel, driveshaft, etc.
Even the Cobra 289s are much better cars as modern kits than they were when first built.
I'm really thinking of the potential of the old M103/104 I6 in a fintail or W108, or maybe a diesel badged W123. It should fit in the hole, add maybe 50hp from the old engines (maybe double the diesel hp), and be quieter and even smoother. The bad thing is that the old engines might actually get better mileage, maybe from the lower displacement.
This same guy was one of the builders of a late 80s M5 which wound up retaining the "correct" motor, if by "correct" you mean "punched out to 4.0l and running a turbo with 20 psi of boost."
Speaking of BMW V8 swaps: I see in this months Roundel, somebody's trying to sell an S62 from a 2001 M5. Complete with wiring harness. Pre-war 328 swap, anyone? I can hear Shifty grinding his teeth at the thought.
20 PSI of boost? Isn't that asking for KA-BOOM? I trust he's not doing that for long, or up a steep hill. Maybe a big C clamp on the cylinder head?
A 300 HP Bavaria...the mind boggles.....Hmmm....sounds like lipstick on a pig to me, but you know, I am so mean and opinionated, don't pay me any mind!
Sounds kinda like the high-output 6 european car magazine put in an older 528i - they had lots of trouble getting the chassis to handle all the power.
Shifty is right about messing up the prewar car...that's a crime to invoke capital punishment. IIRC the Sbarro replica 328 had a BMW I6, so maybe that would be better - when your original engine was out for servicing but you still wanted to drive it, of course.
A more logical V8 conversion would be a 735i, except that the M30 motor in that car was probably the best engine they ever made.
I seem to link BMW and I6 in my mind, so yes, I'd rather put a modded M30 in a 735i, or (with more $$ than sense) one of those new twin turbo 6s.
I just threw that out there to see what kind of apoplexy I could stir up in you.
20 PSI of boost? Isn't that asking for KA-BOOM? I trust he's not doing that for long, or up a steep hill. Maybe a big C clamp on the cylinder head?
The motor's built to take up to 24. I saw it during the build, and it's a work of art which made my boosted E36 look like a hot-rodded Isetta. We're talking forged crank, custom rods and pistons, head studs, 8:1 compression, custom equal length header into the turbo, dual staged injectors for each cylinder, with an aftermarket brain (which allows an "around town" setting with only 12 psi). Your basic "more money than sense" $40,000 build. That's not counting the cooling system, driveline and suspension work, and dyno tuning time. Oh yeah, 700+ at the wheels. My friend drove it and said he absent mindedly rolled into the throttle in 3rd at about 40 MPH. Next thing he knew he was sideways. It's a total sleeper too. But not the way I'd spend my money.
The Bavaria's running some kind of Eibach spring/Koni shock combo. He's gusetted the unit body in a few places, and it's got brakes from an E32 7 series. Nice job. Another sleeper.
The nice thing (among some of the not nice things) about an American V8 conversion is that the power is SO CHEAP. You can buy 500++HP for $5,000, or even less in some circumstances. And maybe...what...another $1,500 for aftermarket fuel injection management, if you don't want to go with carburetion?
On the minus side, you can end up with a nose-heavy noisy brute which makes for a fun, but generally short-lived, sense of pleasure soon turning to annoyance.
To my mind, less is more with a V8 conversion that you plan to drive, not race.
best
Shifty the Host