I'm planning a W114 project ;-)

[T-Modell]

Hello down under,

first of all: if this project ever comes true, it is absolutely useless, driven by no reason, logic or profitability ... if you're still interested:

I somehow got hooked on those Argentine 220D Pick-Ups, especially the two-door. Produced locally from Mercedes between 1972-76, it's pretty rare and original:

pick-up-mercedes-benz-220d.jpg

As my wife grew up in Argentina and we met a nice Argentine couple during our holiday in Australia (!), I asked our - now - friend, to look out for one of those. He worked in the car business before, so I might be lucky. Transport to Europe is quite expensive, but our local club here is interested in a station wagon and another friend might take another pick-up ... so three cars might be cheaper to transport.

So, if this all works out, I plan the following:
1) As 60hp Diesel is not what I prefer :whistle: I want to buy a rotten W126 500SE up to 1984, preferred 1980/81 with a good engine/gearbox. I know a young guy here (grown up in a vintage-Mercedes-workshop), who put a V8 in a W123 when he was 15, now he's 19 and eager for "projects". Plan is to take drivetrain and brakes too.
2) Restore it as far as necessary. Maybe have a stainless steel exhaust system made. Put 15" bundt (Barock) wheels on it.
3) Have it painted in Audi "Glutorange" (glow or ember orange, you need sunglasses to look at), similar to my company colour, and put some logos on it.
4) Do a conservation and have fun with a 240hp W114 pick-up
5) Sell it to my company and use it for advertising

If anyone has any recommendations or tips or things I have to be careful about, especially regarding the conversion etc., I'd be very happy to plan them in! Thanks in advance!

Best regards
Thomas

P. S.: Research has shown, that with a more than 30 year old car AND a more than 30 year old engine, I could get the "history" status here. Contacts to the TÜV here have been made already ...

[cuisses]

Thomas, this sounds completely out of character for you ... so I support it fully. :occasion5:

[McGavin]

Sounds fantastic.

[TheMadRacoon]

You know Thomas, with a perspex canopy over the back it could almost pass off as a period Popemobile. Perhaps not in the orange colour you want, though.

Good luck!

[Giles]

Go for it Thomas. I'd like to see that happen.

Giles

[T-Modell]

Thanks guys,

any tips? What's critical when putting a V8 in such a car? Any parts to be strengthened? Space? Brakes? ... would be great, if I could participate in the experience of someone who's done something similar ...
Thomas

[Giles]

From my under standing the key elements of this are

Widening the trans tunnel for the V8 transmission.

Using SL/SLC engine mounts and oil sump

Deleting the firewall sound deadening pad and possible reworking of the firewall

560 big brakes would be desirable

Giles

[70499]

Awesome! :dance:

The Glutorange body with a matt black roof or white pearl would make it stand out a bit further in the crowd.
Pentas with ......x9 for the rear.
Plus, I would be one of many on this forum who would a little bit jealous of this project

Hope it all works out with transport etc

[T-Modell]

Thanks Giles,

I'll keep that in mind. I thought of Pentas, but - as with my station wagon - I'd like the sleeper look a bit better. So I prefer the Barock wheels, but 15", because 14" tyres here in Germany with a speed index "V" of 240km/h are horribly expensive (speed index H with 210km/h will probably not be allowed, as the car should be faster).

Black roof ... hmmm ... I'll think about it ...

Thomas

[Lance]

I didn't know Germany had bogans.
As for advice from ute loving Aussies (remember we invented it), a couple of bags of cement in the back will stop it sliding around, and you need a couple of nasty looking dogs permanently chained to the tray. Also, show it at the Deni ute muster.

[T-Modell]

I didn't know Germany had bogans.
As for advice from ute loving Aussies (remember we invented it), a couple of bags of cement in the back will stop it sliding around, and you need a couple of nasty looking dogs permanently chained to the tray. Also, show it at the Deni ute muster.

... and as we had it in another post, that should go on the car too :occasion5:

bogan.JPG

Thomas

[parker]

RORO should be the cheapest and easiest option, or 2 cars in one 40 ft cont, but lots to organise.
You can use the sl breaks and some new front springs,
Biggest problem perhaps will be the steering box and the mufflers and exhaust

[T-Modell]

RORO should be the cheapest and easiest option, or 2 cars in one 40 ft cont, but lots to organise.
You can use the sl breaks and some new front springs,
Biggest problem perhaps will be the steering box and the mufflers and exhaust

Thanks, according to my information the guy has done it before, so I hope with the W126 gear it should work. We will include the local TÜV (roadworthy org) from the beginning, so their requirements will be included. The head of that TÜV where I will be going is a fan too, afaik he owns a W114 convertible (!).

Regards
Thomas

[Mercmad]

you need the DOKA version to carry all the mates to Oktoberfest.
I posted this pic before of therm building the utes in Argentina. They also built station wagons.



Binz Version

[Mercmad]

As for putting azV8 in there, look for a wrecked 107 V8 and grab the front end and engine sump so you can fit the engine in and have nice big brakes. i have all those bits here but it's too far to ship them .

[Giles]

There is a W114 ute with a V8 being built in Sydney at the moment. My one dislike of these is they are based on sedans which leads to a small cabin space.

I got one spare C114 body in good condition I've earmarked for a V8 conversion project. Not sure whether I'd go the ute project but have given it some thought.

Giles

[Giles]

Although this is based on C123, it has my preferred Ranchero look.

image.jpg

Giles

[T-Modell]

...
As for putting azV8 in there, look for a wrecked 107 V8 and grab the front end and engine sump so you can fit the engine in and have nice big brakes. i have all those bits here but it's too far to ship them .

Thanks Ron,

I know these pictures well; am I correct that you're saying, an early 107-V8 is different to a W126-V8 and fits easier?

Regards
Thomas

[T-Modell]

Well,

the project might go ahead. I finally got my friend in Argentina to investigate ... currently we're after two cars, one pick-up for me and one station-wagon for the club here. They should fit in a 20" container, so it would reduce shipping costs.

The above mentioned team for the motor conversion are currently working on a W111 Coupe 5.6 ... I will have a look at it next week.

Really excited, if this all work out!
Thomas

[Lance]

Why do people keep picking on the W114, turning them into utes, modifying them and even putting Holden V8s in them! Cruelty I say!
I am going to report you all to the RSPCMB!

[T-Modell]

Why do people keep picking on the W114, turning them into utes, modifying them and even putting Holden V8s in them! Cruelty I say!
I am going to report you all to the RSPCMB!

OK, no Australia holiday anymore ...

Mercedes itself has turned the W114 into a ute in Argentina, it was officially produced there by MB. It's also very difficult here in Germany to get hold (sic!) of a Holden V8, so I'm forced to use a M117

If the project goes ahead and is - probably - finished one day, you're hereby invited for a test drive on your next visit here ... :occasion5:

Thomas

[konrad]

Thomas,

Behave yourself.

Phil

[Lance]

If the project goes ahead and is - probably - finished one day, you're hereby invited for a test drive on your next visit here ...

I'll take you up on that offer.
I may be in Denmark next year (my wife is Danish and is planning to visit family).

[T-Modell]

Lance,

offer stands; if the pick-up isn't ready, I have the W111 as an alternative.

Thomas

[Lance]

Thanks,
But passenger seat will do, I would be too nervous driving such a nice car.
I would then have more time to wave at the pretty German girls!

[AMG]

post sept-85 front 107.048 subframe control arms, spindles, hubs, brakes.

decide what engine. Personally I'd pick an M100 for aesthetic reasons, but if $ was no object, I would pick M120.
Unfortunately m120 kicks you out of the 30 year rule. So an m117.968 with 722.323 will have to do.... choose a 2.47LSD rear from a 126....

For the rear, I would suggest using a complete rear subframe from a series 3 w124 TE with R129 differential.

Transmission, I would go for a beefed up 722.6 with a standalone controller if you mated that to an m100, but the Tremec option would be just as good if you wanted a manual gearbox and that would also be fine behind an m117

But I think you may have missed out on one crucial option - especially if you want your utility to actually be useful.

OM606a & 722.6. (210 donor) is a sensible drivetrain upgrade. especially if you want to tow something. Then again, so is an m275....

I really don't know what the exact parameters are in terms of desired powerplant, budget and intended use, but you are just lucky that you are in the fatherland, where everything you need from MB is dirt cheap. Doing the same thing here would make it a 50-60K expense with a net value of somewhere between zero and 20K, depending on the execution.

I love the look of the donor vehicle. I love the m117's reliability, power and sound. I think there are dozens of better transmissions out there which could more efficiently deliver that power to the rear wheels than the 722.3

I would be curious to know what a common rail v6 turbodiesel and gearbox is worth over there. because if they were cheap enough, there is a huge potential for a versatile and useful utility vehicle.

If you're turning it into a show pony, put a 6.3 in it. the induction setup looks a million bucks. AND you can hide an efi setup in there so it still looks like a standard engine.

I have a set of WB pentas here..... all you need to fit them are pre-85 r107 hubs and spindles, with w126.039 rotors & callipers. Like I did on Lurch.

[T-Modell]

Thanks,
But passenger seat will do, I would be too nervous driving such a nice car.
I would then have more time to wave at the pretty German girls!

That's alright for me ... you could join our newest family member

WP_20150312_08_26_27_Pro_1024x576.jpg

@AMG: thanks for all the input; it'll be a 380/500/560 from a W126, preferably a coupe, as I'd like to put the seats into the W114. There's a guy in Frankfurt who has put a 5.6 into a W114 yet and is building a W111 Coupe 5.6 at the moment.

Those donor cars are pretty cheap, especially if you have a bit of time and can look for an accident one. There will be no "use" for the ute, it's just for fun!

Thomas

[T-Modell]

Well,

it looks like my project is doomed. First talks to the "TÜV" here (who would have to confirm roadworthiness) were - to use polite words - pretty negative. They have been critisised so much in the past 10 years, that it's basically impossible to find someone who approves it.

Underhand, the Mercedes-Fan I spoke to (of the TÜV), agreed that W114 / R107 / W116 / W126 are basically the same cars, but he would be personal responsible if anything happens in the future. If he would do the testing, he talks about 100km+ test drives, etc. etc.

He's back from holidays next week, so we give it another try to get him involved in the project. The idea was, that he accompanies the project and tells us in early stages what he expects. Even if such a mod was done 2-5 years ago, it could be that it's not approved these days.

The only alternative would be to put a M110 in it (which existed), but this is not worth the money ... of course this is just my opinion. It's really a bummer, I would have a welder for the body and I already spoke to a workshop who could and would do the conversion. Even good donor cars are available between 6-10.000 Euros. If I could find any prove, that a V8 was in the W114 in those days (incl. documentation), then I might have a chance. I talked to a guy here who put the 6.3 in a Pagoda ... he could prove, that such a car had been built then.

Funnily, the "history" classification (lower tax) wouldn't be a problem at all ... 30 year old car, 30 year old motor of the same manufacturer ...

Hope dies last ...

Thomas

[oldmercfan]

Hi Thomas,

Have you thought about putting in a M110, which already has 185 hp in D-jet version, and then tune the hell out of it? Our forum sponsor achieved 230+ hp from his rally car W114 280E, and that was without anything radical. One other thought, did you know MB is about to launch a brand new utility? The wheel has turned full circle. If you could get your project into great shape, tell them you have the ideal promotional vehicle to help with the launch!

oldmercfan

[T-Modell]

Good idea with Mercedes, if I had the contacts ... regarding the M110 ... it's not the horsepower, it's just the V8 I want to have in it. A W114 M110 is just too "normal" to me ... I will see next week ...

Thomas

[John Green]

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