What engine to swap into a 1976 450SL Mercedes???

Question

I have a 1976 Mercedes Benz 450 SL without the engine. I have seen swaps with Ford 5.0 and small block Chevrolet but I need info.

Answer 1

Highly recommend signing in with http://www.mbcoupes.com/ MB Coupes USA and asking that in there.

There are a few guys on there who have put all kinds of motors into MB's both MB motors and other manufactures. I would try to keep a 450 in there to keep the value up.

Answer 2

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RE:
What engine to swap into a 1976 450SL Mercedes???
I have a 1976 Mercedes Benz 450 SL without the engine. I have seen swaps with Ford 5.0 and small block Chevrolet but I need info.

Answer 3

Well for one thing you need to decide if you want to maintain the resale value of the car or not. Putting a Ford or Chevy engine and transmission into it will kill the resale. You will also need to decide how you are going to use the car. Daily driver or weekend warrior. Or are you just going to beat it to death by putting a monster engine in it and go racing. Lots of things to decide first.

Once you have decided on how you are going to use the car and the other items I've mentioned then look for an engine and transmission to match. The SL was orginially available with a six cylinder, 2.8L, as well as three different v8's of different performance levels, a 3.5L, a 4.5L and a 5.0L

If it were me I would go find 4.5L MB V8 and put back what came out. This will also allow you to smog the car without going to a referee at the DMV once you get the work done.

But if you still want an American V8 I would go for the 5.4L DOHC Ford V8 with a 5 speed automatic behind it. They put out about 325 HP in performance configuration.

The other end of the spectrum would be an MB 3.0L 6 cyl Turbo Diesel with a 4 speed automatic. 30MPG and will last "forever" It will be just as expensive but the payback will only take about 5 years at 20Kmiles per year.

Another option is find a wrecked MB 300SEL 6.3 and pull the engine and trans from it and put THAT under the hood. Now that will be a real HOT ROD!!! I have seen that conversion. Big bumped up hood and went like a "bat out of hell". You could nudge it up to a concrete wall, blip the throttle breaking loose the rear tires and the tires would keep turning from the amout of torque the engine put out just at idle. They had to change out the rear end as well since the rear end in the 6.3 came out of the 600 Grand SWB and Pullman.

Have fun what ever you do.

Answer 4

someone got a 12 cyl M120 to fit into a later SL . It might cost more than a chevy v8 but it would be a hot setup.
But if your a average guy with a average income like me the Ford 302 would be a good swap .it weighs almost 100lbs less than a chevy 350 and like the chev it would be really cheap to build up to get 400 hp out of it, The purebreds might not like it but they wont be driving it either.Ive seen chevy swaps so there must be a kit out there somewhere for a Ford too.

Answer 5

If you swap in an American made small block, you're going to have to have some major modification done to the frame to be able to support the new engine and transmission combination.

At any rate, the mods won't be cheap.

See if there aren't any Hot Rod or RestoMod shops in your area. Have them come look at the vehicle and give you an estimate for getting it done. You might be better off trying to find the engine you need and having it rebuilt.

Answer 6

Why on earth would you put a chevy engine on a mercedes?

You can get a 6.9 Mercedes Benz Engine, that is a great engine, and you can also get an AMG tuned engine, also from MB, why go on another direction?

Answer 7

Mercedes 450sl

Answer 8

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You'd have to get custom engine mounts made, and then there is the problem of mating it to the transmission. On top of that, there is the small problem of getting the ignition system to work, and a whole host of other problems that I can't think of at the moment.