The swoopy coupe!

[drew56cus]

Hi all,
Well, much to my wifes dismay, I have bought another W111! This time, it is a damaged 1967 250SE that I got from NSW. The poor old owner had an accident in a workshop when he had almost finished the car, and wiped out the side of it. Luckily for me, I know a source of parts for this car so I can get all the panels for a good price.
So now I have 3 sedans and a coupe... and none that actually can be driven legally. The plan was to finish the black V8, and then get the coupe going. But a guy wiped out my Bitta-shitti Magna last weekend when he ran a red light, so now I have 6 cars, and none of them work! Needless to say, I am keen to have an alternative to cycling every day, so now the coupe has queue-jumped, as it is the easiest car to get on the road quickly.





So far I have stripped most of the side of the car, and have found that the sill is fine (phew!), the front inner fenders are fine, and all glass is intact. So I need to replace the B pillar, rear quarter, and the outer wheel well. Then bolt a new door and guard on, after bashing the hinge mounts back into place. Hopefully it all lines up.

The rest of the car is ok, but no show pony. Tired leather seats, thick paint, and some bubbles here and there. Most rubbers need replacing over time. But you gotta love that lower roof line and the curves... So it will be a driver for a while, then get a birthday at some stage. I am booked in for a Tafe painting course, so that should come in handy. This one is a keeper!!

Cheers, Drew

[76Benz]

You lucky bugger
Where did you find a wife that allows you 6 cars none of which drive???

[John Green]

Now here is an interesting story, I have quoted the parts for this car about 10 times, each time to someone who was looking at repairing. I presume you brought it from the guy who pranged it?? If so my suspicions about some of the people who were asking for quotes on the car are correct. I had a few guys who said they had brought the car and were well into reparing it......

Firs time i have seen photos of it and it makes one giy i spoke to a ral laugh, he was convinced that all he needed was the door and he had a "mate" that could fix the other panles good a new with a bit of filler...

Either way I have a brand new R/h door in stock and can import the other panels for you if you like.

[drew56cus]

I reviewed the panel damage, and agree that it is superficial. A couple of mates are coming over on the weekend and we will listen to the footy on the radio and spread a bit of filler over the damage.
I just placed an order for the filler - here it comes now...



Tee hee!
Drew

[OzBenzHead]

[...] I just placed an order for the filler - here it comes now...


Drew

Don't laugh at the idea! In the early '70s I was inspecting a Rover for prospective purchase in Parramatta Rd, Sydney.

Looking low along the driver's side, I was sure I could see a repaired patch in the rear door.

Stood up, walked up to the door and thumped the sus part with my fist.

Out fell a lump of concrete about 8" x 14", 2" deep! :shock:

No, didn't buy that one. :roll:

[drew56cus]

Got into exposing the real damage today.
Stripped the drivers door. Thankfully most stuff ok. The window regulator was bent, but a bit of persuasion with the ol' hammer convinced him to straighten up.
Pulled out the rear screen - man, MB didn't think that design through... The bright trim above the rear glass traps water in between it and the body, with no where for it to go. No where except into the metal, that is! So that's one unexpected fix up required. Does anyone know how to stop that in future??



Pulled out anything else in the way, then did a little cutting...





I can now see how all the structure works. I would like to replace the whole outer wheel tub, but gee, it is tied into so many other pieces. I may just 'cut'n'shut it with a good one wherever there is easy access.
So looks like next weekend will be spent drilling out spot welds to un-pick the seams. Oh well, it is all a learning experience!

[bruceT]

Got into exposing the real damage today.
Stripped the drivers door. Thankfully most stuff ok. The window regulator was bent, but a bit of persuasion with the ol' hammer convinced him to straighten up.
Pulled out the rear screen - man, MB didn't think that design through... The bright trim above the rear glass traps water in between it and the body, with no where for it to go. No where except into the metal, that is! So that's one unexpected fix up required. Does anyone know how to stop that in future??

Yep, a product called POR15. There is no substitute, and it will be the last time that you have to tackle that job again...

http://www.por15.com/

It's available in Oz through selected outlets.

[CraigB]

Your a brave man Drew! I just love the way you get into it. Did you know you can buy a special spot weld drill/cutter? Not expensive but you may have to go to a crash supplies place to get one. It is like a small hole saw just bigger than the welds with a guide. To remove a panel (or the rest of yours) you drill on all the welds, lever off the panel and then grind of all the little circles it leaves behind. To remove the panel off the other car you use it again and you are left with all these nice sized holes to run braze into to attach it and if you are carefull it will look just like the original welds once the paint is over it. Ring me if you need a better description 0421910935 / 0887566028

That was just on the tip of my tongue (or fingers) before I read Bruce - POR15. The theory is that it bonds so strongly and is so impervious that you don't even need to completely clean the rust first. You spray on a binding coat and then paint your acrylic or whatever over the top.

[OzBenzHead]

And I'll add my endorsement to POR-15. Get the kit - it has all the solutions you'll need for the job. (Unless you decide to hit a lot more rust, in which case get the same selection of materials but in larger sized pots.)

It's awesome stuff. Eats other "rust converters" for breakfast.

[drew56cus]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have used POR15 on FrankenBenz, so I definitely will use it on the rear screen. I was trying to figure out if there was a way to stop water getting in there in the first place... I don't think a line of silicon would look very good.

I read my panel beating book on the weekend Craig and saw a little diagram of the spot weld cutter. But I am having trouble finding someone who sells them at the moment. Most places just seem to have what looks like a conventional drill bit that has a flat face to it, and a little spike in the middle. I may have to try one of those.
Cheers,
Drew

[drew56cus]

Time for an update!
This is what I have been up to:
- wire brushed all the rear screen opening, and major rust bubble areas
- fixed a rust hole in the rear top of the roof. In doing this, I found out the car was originally cream body with a Mercedes blue roof - so factory 2-tone!
- cut out the rust rear screen area at the top, and welded new tabs in to stabilise the roof
- repaired a rusted out piece near the RHS tail light, and behind the boot seal
- found rust in the LH quarter in front of the rear wheel. Cut it out and welded it up

- found some horrible rust in the floor below the rear seat. The low spots (which the tabs for the front of the handbrake cables mount to under the car) are ready to snap off, and some big holes right through the floor.

- oh well, no point doing things by halves... Lucky I have this donor car...

So next weekend will be unstitching the same piece in the coupe, and transplanting this in (125 spot welds to drill out per piece!!). Then bathing everything in POR-15 so I never have to do it again.
Lucky I didn't buy a rusty car hey??!!

Cheers,
Drew

[Fiddler]

Drew ........ ya an inspiration to those of us who get daunted by the work needed on our cars mate.

You just rip in and do it ........... I'm continually impressed with what you do.

[John Green]

I found out the car was originally cream body with a Mercedes blue roof - so factory 2-tone!

Thats a strange colour combination? Are there two codes on the data plate?? If un sure post a picture of it and i will decifer for you.

[drew56cus]

Hi John,
Good to see you back posting again - you were a bit quiet for a while, and I was beginning to worry about whether you were crook again... Seeing that Crazy John guy fall off his perch made me think about it again.

My data plate is as follows:

111.021 22-086900
306 992
717 G 335 H
111 021 22 9
3 00324 00070

So I got told the 717 G is papyrus by Glasurit, and 335 H is Mercedes Blue by Dr Herbert paints (coincidence with the surname!).
I am thinking about getting the data card for it from Tom Hanson to find out more about it. But unfortunately, the PO pulled out the factory A/C (code 306) and threw it away as his mate said it was stuffed! I have priced a replacement, and all I need to say is that I am going to put an underdash Mark IV unit in from a W108 that I got off a club member a while back!
I am off to collect my panels this weekend, so hopefully the next month will see some more progress. And with my developing paint skills from my Tafe course, I think I am going to reinstate the Mercedes Blue roof! Or maybe some Mercedes Blue twin stripes like a Falcon Cobra?
Nah, I just said that to stir up any purists!!
Cheers,
Drew

[John Green]

Your not wrong about the Crazy john guy, he was the same age as me 42!!

Well yes that is a factory two tone. Personally i think it would look a little strange witht he blue on top of the cream. Can you do a photoshop mock up to see what it looks like. One thing that has always ammused m is that all factory approved two tones have the darked colour on top, maybe thats OK for Europe, but here in Australia you are better off with the lighter colour roof.. Have a look at this one we restored.

http://www.mbspares.com.au/Information/ ... 19671.aspx

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

[drew56cus]

Ok, have returned from my Melbourne jaunt to pick up my replacement coupe parts.
I flew down with a mate on Sat morning, and popped in to Chris Stewarts place, who is a very nice and knowledgable guy with a serious mercedes addiction! He has a few sheds full of bits and pieces, and a paddock of about 20 benzes of various types. It was great - we did a few laps of a paddock in a finnie, a 114, and then he started up his 6.9 for me to listen to. He even put on a BBQ lunch for us. But most importantly, Chris was hard at work with a mega disc cutter when we got there, preparing some tasty coupe cuts... here it is loaded in the back of a troopy. It is basically 1/4 of a car!

I looked to resolve my transport dilemma through Ebay, by looking for a van. There was one close to Chris, so he offered to test drive it for me. The van conked out on the test... Knowing how many cars Chris has, I asked him if he had an old Benz that we could maybe cut the rear seat area out of to fit all my parts in. Chris had a better option though - he had an old '80's troopy, that was intended for camping trips. He bought it off some backpackers who had finished their travels, but which turned out to be more expensive than they wanted. After 2 years of driving around, the backpackers were joined by a brother. Said brother was tasked with refuelling the beast at the servo. No one told him it was a diesl though... So, $10,000 later, the troopy was reborn with a rebuilt motor, fuel system, cooling system and some other fixups. The rig was a bit sad in the body, but it would definitely get me home. So with an unregistered vehicle permit, and loaded with bits of coupe and some of Ozbenzheads W108 panels (with the bonnet serving as a wind deflector!), I was ready.

On the Sunday before I went, I had the pleasure of meeting fellow Ozbenz finhead Brad34, who arrived in his beautiful 220 (with an amazing interior) to check on his 300SEL's that he has bought off Chris (or was he just there to make sure I hadn't pinched his NOS tail lights??!!). So it was a good weekend seeing Chris and Brad, fantasising about MB's and 3.5V8's with 5 speeds etc. It was sad though to hear from Chris how many of his cars were pulled from paddocks or under trees, after being parked there 30 years before, sometimes with rebuilt engines. What goes through the minds of some people...
So, after 2 days of driving and 1700km, I returned home with my treasure trove of parts - hence the guard dog!


There are some rust repairs to do first, but with the hefty cut of coupe, I should be able to unpick it exactly the way I want.
Now if only I could convince my wife that I need the rest of the year off...

[BustedNut]

Hey Drew..

Ha ha.. Sensational stuff mate. Love that shot of the troopy with the bonnet on the roof.. :D

Sounds like you had quite a time, I can only imagine some of the looks you must've got cranking up the Hume.. :mrgreen:

Regards,

BustedNut

[Brad34]

Hey Drew!

Good to see that the Troopy made it home for you! And that my tail lights are still at Chris' place..... :)

Brad

[drew56cus]

Finished the rear floor at last. Gee, didn't realise how many weeks I had lost working on the water tanks. All painted in POR-15, welded in and seam sealed - so that should have the rust licked for a while!



Started repairing the rust on the front donor guard. Some of the inner structure has rusted away, so I have cut the matching piece off the bent original panel, straightened it out to match some templates, and welded it in. The guard matches up to the A pillar ok - bit bent, but nothing major.
Hopefully X mas week will see some more interesting pics.

Cheers, Drew

[drew56cus]

Latest installment. Gee, it took a while to get back onto this!
Tackled the rust patches in the donor rear quarter.
Rusty lower section


Rusty lower B pillar


Made a patch for the lower B pillar and welded it in. A bit fiddly, as the folds are curved. But got it with some use of the shrinker.


Now made up a patch for the lower part. Folded it on a workbench with a piece of angle iron, some clamps, and a piece of old railway line. Far from ideal, but it worked. To get the curve of the lower part of the wheel arch, I filled a sock with sand, and beat it in with a steel rod I had laying about. Somehow, it worked!


Cut out the rear inner structure so I could get a dolly in behind it, and hammer welded it with the oxy where I could reach, and mig'd where I couldn't.

Looks ok from that angle, but man those panels sucked down a long way with the oxy heat. I had to use all my (in)significant might to push it back up. Got most of it back up, but stretched it a bit in some areas, and left it short in others, so have a bit of distortion to fix now. Now I know how some of those old custom cars ended up with 400kg of lead on them!

Stil have the back section to do now.
Cheers, Drew

[OzBenzHead]

Drew: a very brave project! I'm in awe of your skill and determination. :shock:

(Be seeing you soon to collect my panels. See PM.)

[editjunk]

I'm rarely impressed by anything.

I'm impressed.

[drew56cus]

Some more rust repairs have been happening. This time it was the lower rear part of the rear quarter. This was a bit tricky as the panel has a curve in both directions. This is how I tackled it.
1) Folder a strip of metal with a slight curve across a little bit of rod I stuck in a vice. but folding like this tends to give a straight fold.


2) Use a shrinker (has little sets of jaws that gather the metal up) on both edges to make the fold follow a curve, rather than being straight


3) Starting to match the rusty piece


4) To weld it on this time, as it was a tricky spot to get a dolly in behind, I did a lap joint. I used a pneumatic joddler, that puts a little offset in the bottom 1cm of the panel where I trimmed it off. Then the patch can sit over that lap. Drill a few holes in the patch panel, and plug weld the patch to the main panel. This gives little distortion, and after a skim of bog, will be invisible. But you have to orient the lap so it won't catch water in it, and paint it with rust proof paint to seal it up. otherwise you will be doing it again one day...


5) See the amount (or lack of) distortion compared to my butt welding. Yes, my butt welding needs some more practice. Mind you, I have since panel beaten most of that distortion back out.


6) I am now trying to pull the A pillar into alignment with an endless chain and home made frame bolted to the floor.


Thats all for now folks!

[AMG]

one word:

Dedication.

Absolutely amazing effort. Can't wait for the next installment.

[drew56cus]

Sorted out the alignment issues on the weekend. It was quite tricky as the A pillar didn't really seem bent, but the door was about 5-6mm too far forward. Eventually we figured it out - in the crash, the car was travelling backwards with the door open and the door hit a post and got ripped off to the front of the car. That twisted the A pillar rather than buckle and crunch it. As the angle of the A pillar to the sill is not 90 degrees, it was quite hard to notice that it was different to what it should be. But we found a couple of little bulges at the base of it that gave it away. So we hooked up a thick steel plate to each hinge mount and pulled it around. Voila! It lined up! We also heated the bulged areas with the oxy and gave it a little bit of a help with a hammer.

So now it looks like a car again!

101_0563.JPG

Unfortunately I have now pulled it all back off to rust-proof everywhere inside the panels. I didn't want to rust prrof it earlier, only to end up destroying it with the oxy or hammering. So it will be a slow couple of weekends doing the mundane (but very necessary) preparations for a long and healthy life.

[Damo_R129]

Drew,

your efforts are awe inspiring! If only I had half the skill that you do. Where did you learn your panelbeating/welding skills? do you work in the game?

doing up a car myself at this level is a dream of mine. but I would have to palm off many of the trades.

DB

[drew56cus]

Hey Damo and others,
This is half the reason I am posting this - I AM NOT A TRADESMAN! I have done some night classes at Tafe in Brisbane. They typically run for 6-8 weeks on a Tues or Wed night, for 3 hours per night. The sequence was:
- Oxy welding - all welding at Tafe is with oxy so you can dress the welds up without cracking
- Mig/TIG/ARC welding (not necessary but I liked it)
- Intro to panel beating - covers basic forming, using hammers and dollies, knocking out dents, using folders and jenny's, making templates
- Vehicle restoration - you basically go along with a panel or two and fix them up over 8 weeks. Eith panel beat them, cut out and replace rust, or fabricate entire new panels from templates. I have fixed up a front guard, made a new door skin, and some others made about 20 sill panels for FJ Holdens!
- Intro to spray painting - just did this a few months back. And I will never pay for a paint job again, as it is amazing how crappy you can paint it, and still end up with a great result with careful buffing and polishing.
In QLD, they are called Adult Community Education (ACE) courses. Look 'em up on the web. Great value and teachers have always been good.

And believe me, I lie awake at night worrying about how to do something, and I procrastinate and stuff around (If my workshop is clean, you know I am scared by something!). But now I have a slogan written on my wall... "IT'S ONLY STEEL!". If you stuff it up, cut it off and do it again. And if you really stuff it up, then you can normally find someone to help fix it.

So people, do a few courses, ask lots of questions, and start off on floor pans or boot wells where the results of your efforts are not so visual. There is a thing called "Metal Meet" in dandenong (Melbourne) in April for anyone down there wanting to learn some metal forming skills. Again, google it. And I have seen some ads in an Oz clasic car mag for workshops in Sydney - I can get the clipping if anyone wants it.

I went to my 10 year uni class reunion a little while back. Everyone was talking about their PHD's, MBA's, Securities Institute courses etc. Then someone asked me what I was doing. They all cracked up when I told them I was at Tafe doing panel beating! Once all my bills are paid off, I may just knock on Wolf Grodd's door (Sleeping Beauties in Brisbane, who restore cars of MB and Porsche museums!) and see if I can be a mature age apprentice!
Cheers, Drew

Oh yeah, and the #1 tip - don't have kids, this stuff takes time! If I put in as much time and effort into my cars as you have to (or should do) for kids, then I would knock out 2 cars a year...

[Damo_R129]

Thanks for the insight. doing some metal working/welding courses issomethign I've considered doing, and somethign I will do. It's great to see that this skills can be picked up.

I am a handy person. but I know my limits. IE, I"m currently renovating my house, but I have left some of the structual work so i think I"d be ok once I learned the skills and had the tools... One day I'll do it.


DB

[CraigB]

Great comments Drew. Arm yourself with some knowledge and have a go. Very little is irreversible or someone wont be able to give you a hand to get it right. When young I had a neighbour who restored cars and I would spend a bit of time helping him and learning along the way. That way if you stuff up it isn't even your car!! Seriously though, any club or people on here, there will be a few with good knowledge and actively restoring. They are most likely to be happy for you to look over your shoulder and share their knowledge. And of course the official courses are good but that takes a regular time committment.

All our chat's and I didn't realise you have kids Drew. How old are they? Reason I ask is that you seem to get a lot more shed time than me and I am hoping things will get better when our 1.5 and 3.5 get older. At the moment they seem to stress Jo out so much that by the time I get home from work and on weekends I am looking after kids to give her some respite (and I do enjoy spending time with them in that time window too). I look back at how it took me 18months to build my Amilcar from a rolling chassis and rough tail section into a whole car with large amounts of fabrication involved. Now I can't even find time to troubleshoot why it isn't starting!

[drew56cus]

All our chat's and I didn't realise you have kids Drew

I must have been typing too fast and come across wrongly! No, I don't have the little critters. Just the crusty old dog, and even that seems like too much responsibility at times. So I don't really have an excuse for being so slow at finishing my cars - other than appeasing my wife with water tanks and holes for her plants!

[SEDECREM]

Great progress!!

Great to see it taking shape.

Where did you get the air joddler? , ive been looking for one of those.

Thats a lot of work especially fixing the heat distortion from the oxy, do you know how to shrink using the oxy? where the sheetmetal has popped up you heat a cherry red spot the size of a 20 cent piece, then quickly hammer the around the outside of it (Not on the cherry)
then grab a soaking wet rag and cool the heat spot.Tightens the sheetmetal right up & makes it easier to work. Thats how i do it anyway , there may be a better technique ,you may know a better way.

Looking forward to the next update.cheers.

[drew56cus]

Well isn't it funny going back and reading your old posts! 5 years on and the car is still not done - so much for being quicker to get done than Frankenbenz! And here is a news flash - it is never going to be! After having trouble lining up the panels, I got scared and did nothing for a few years. Now that F/benz is almost done, I need to get going on the coupe again. I got a proper panel beater in to help me and by his reckoning, the car has had 2 accidents before the last one, neither of which were repaired properly. So, there are some twists to pull out before the panels will line up.
I remembered that a certain hoarder of MB treasures from Canberra had a shell in Sydney that had had extensive repairs done before being abandoned by its owner - probably once they saw the bill! With the help of Michel in Sydney, we have come to the conclusion that it will be cheaper, faster, and easier to buy the good shell and swap all the bits over. It also means the old shell can donate body bits to the 300 coupe for rust repairs when it's turn comes.

DSC02120.JPG

So now I am making some wheel dollies to enable the shell to be moved to Michels paint and body man - I will get the shell done down there and transported back home for assembly. I got some pneumatic-tyred wheels and made up some brackets to enable them to be bolted to the front flat spring mounts. The cutoff wheel, grinder and welder have been getting a workout.

DSC00732.JPG

Have to do the back ones, and then make some tie-down points for transporting it on trucks.
So the new plan (and let's hope it is closer to reality than the previous plan!) is that the painted shell may be up at home in 6 weeks, ready for traplsnting of mechanicals. I don't know how far I will go with refurb of things as I swap them over - maybe a little spruce up, but certainly nothing like W108 250... .... standards, otherwise it may take me another 5 years!

[Mercmad]

A good idea would be to hire a ute and trailer ,rather trust a truck to pick it up. I used this mob because they were cheap and the trailers not so heavy. http://www.trailerrentals.com.au/site/q ... ka-matilda
I towed one down to melbourne and bought the wagon back on it.

[drew56cus]

Things are happening... Need to finalise colour this week.

Jerry repairing front guard.jpg

[John Green]

I remembered that a certain hoarder of MB treasures from Canberra had a shell in Sydney that had had extensive repairs done before being abandoned by its owner - probably once they saw the bill!

Glad I could assist with getting it back on the road..

[simonsend]

Hey Drew, Great to see that you are making some strong progress with your coupe. Have you decided whether to keep the rear end standard or go custom?

[drew56cus]

I went to do an inspection of the coupe in paint yesterday - holy smokes it blew my mind! It looked amazing! I went with Tenorite Grey, a newish MB colour - and it really suits the coupe shape. The work is very good - lots of detailed preparation and patience - the clear looks like glass and it hasn't even been wet sanded and polished yet.
Makes me feel a bit intimidated really - how am I going to make the rest of the car live up to the standards of the body? And how am I going to assemble it all without scratching and chipping that wonderful paint? I am going to have to tape padding to it everywhere.

DSC00791.JPG

DSC00790.JPG

It should be home in a couple of weeks. I think I will need to send some stuff to the chromers now to meet the new standards.

[pastelgrey300D]

Nice one drew! I reckon after the wet-rub and buff it will look like that Jag you posted about in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=14589&p=97685

Is it still in NSW? How are you going about transporting it back? Just curious!

[Marrs]

As the angle of the A pillar to the sill is not 90 degrees, it was quite hard to notice that it was different to what it should be. But we found a couple of little bulges at the base of it that gave it away. So we hooked up a thick steel plate to each hinge mount and pulled it around. Voila! It lined up! We also heated the bulged areas with the oxy and gave it a little bit of a help with a hammer.

I'm sure you've already considered this but be sure to test for your windshield for fit against the newly corrected A-pillar so you don't have to go through the prep work all over again if it needs more adjustments. Terrific read btw, I love this thread!

[V8Finny]

Holy Moly.......that looks sweeeeeeeeeet !!!!!!

Are you sure you don't want to fit a 6.3 to meet the new level of tough that color exudes???

[65Finnnz]

It's definitely screaming out M117 500 motor, megasquirt, polished rocker covers and air filter housing. That would have to be one of the nicest MB colours I have seen. Stunning! What colour are you thinking for interior? Black on black? All white with white leather? You have really put your foot in it with what you're going to have to spend now!! Part of you're evil plan I reckon. I won't let on to the bride!!

[drew56cus]

I won't say what I am leaning towards on either engines or interiors at the moment - let's hear it from the masses, what do others think? I fear I will have a few 2am 'dilemma' moments where I wake up thinking about it. Thankfully, I have another coupe to do next after this one so I can indulge in more than one fantasy!
The body will be coming home in an enclosed transporter. Then it will be getting covered in foam or something so I don't bash it about like I did with FrankenBenz...

[Benz Hur]

Interior: black, black and more black with dark stained wood with a reddish tinge. White would look a bit tacky against that stylish dark exterior colour IMO. Deep, dark maroon can also look absolutely amazing with a dark exterior like your grey.

Engine: unrestricted German W126 560 with all the shiny bells and whistles as per Marcus' description. Or an M100 if you want it to spend half of it's life at Ron's getting adjustments.

Outstanding colour choice!

[pastelgrey300D]

I know the popular consensus here is for the M117, but seeing as you've done done that in Frankenbenz why not a turbo 6? IIRC don't the M180/M130 family of straight sixes have forged conrods and all that heavy duty stuff in the bottom end? As opposed to the deep burble of a V8 you could have the beautiful tone of a high revving six! Although as you're doing two coupes you could just have one of each! (and I suppose having already done one V8 conversion it might make it easier and get the coupe on the road quicker).

Liking the direction that this thread is heading in!

(PS aren't you all proud of me for not suggesting an OM617??? )

[Mercmad]

I would prefer a later turbo six diesel but the problem with the straight sixes is that they are getting on a bit and to produce power you have to work them a bit,wereas a V8 drops in and has tons of power from the get go.

[Dweezil]

(PS aren't you all proud of me for not suggesting an OM617??? )

Yeah, silly. This is much more sensible:
http://mercedesengines.net/products.asp?cat=43

Dweezil

[sf0999]

Not sensible but nice.... http://mercedesengines.net/products.asp?cat=47

Steve

[Mercmad]

As much as i admire metric motors work ( I know Mick there) it's a bit pricey...imagine the cost of import duty on a $9000 engine?

I dream of this occasionally..

AMG engines.jpg

yes those are all new AMG engines awaiting modification at brabus.

[drew56cus]

Now you all have to think of the complete package - a motor needs a trans and diff that are matched. One problem with a V8 is getting the correct ratio diff - the 500SEC has a 2.32 diff, whereas the 250SE has about 3.9 or something like that. So a different rear end also then needs to go in so the motor is not screaming its head off. 65Finnz has that issue with the 3.5 diff. One solution may be a 6.3 diff, but I can see $$$ racking up...
I would be interested in a turbo option for something different, however I have never heard of one being done - a few have said they were going to do it, but I don't know of any that have delivered. Perhaps a turbo'd M110 would go hard?!

[John Green]

Now you all have to think of the complete package - a motor needs a trans and diff that are matched. One problem with a V8 is getting the correct ratio diff - the 500SEC has a 2.32 diff, whereas the 250SE has about 3.9 or something like that. So a different rear end also then needs to go in so the motor is not screaming its head off. 65Finnz has that issue with the 3.5 diff. One solution may be a 6.3 diff, but I can see $$$ racking up...
I would be interested in a turbo option for something different, however I have never heard of one being done - a few have said they were going to do it, but I don't know of any that have delivered. Perhaps a turbo'd M110 would go hard?!

Looking great there Drew, regards diff ratios, if you go for any sort on major increase in horsepower, it only makes sense to also go a lower diff ratio to make is a comfortable cruiser.

That is unless you are planning a drag car