[W126 Coupe] 380 to 500 euro conversion

[mark defrancisco]

Dick,

I have done a 500 to 560 conversion and it is truly a conversion and not a swap. We dyno'd my car after the work and were making something like 235 hp a the rear wheels. My 0 to 60 time is in the 6.1 to 6.2 range. I know where we can get 2 560 motors and transmissions one with about 118K on it, the other with about 190K on it for probably half the money you are going to put into the rebuilld and when you are done you will not have the power and upward mobility of the 560 motor. I also get better fuel economy with my 560 than I did with the 500.

The 380 to 500 is a swap, pure and simple.   I'm just not sure it is worth the money you are being quoted for another 100hp or so. All the fuses, overloads, relays and stuff are all the same. The reason I know this is that when I did the conversion, we took the old 500 motor and dropped it into a 380SE. First off,  it was a nice upgrade and has continued to operate well for now over 18 months. The shop charged about $700 to R&R the engines. So your $1K may not be a bad number.

Now, here is the challenge for you. Since you are already making a unique car, why not throw away all the old technology and go to new technology that would be more reliable and cheaper to work on when the time comes. The new technology would more than likely get you better economy. When I did my conversion, we had not come that far and learned how to do the work.

So the real question is what to put in the hole? How about a 2000 or newer engine out of a wrecked vehicle? Let's for instance talk about the LS1 chevy motor. You could probably get a good low mileage motor and transmission for less than your rebuild cost. The labor will be more because of the conversion factor mentioned above, but your fuel economy would be better than 560 motor and you would be making more horsepower than some MB V-12 and have plenty of room for upgrade. Then you would get your US economy of scale in your great MB body and chassis.

Try that one on for size. If you are interested, I'm sure we can point you in the right direction.

Mark De Francisco
Stealth SEC



mark defrancisco
mdefran at earthlink.net
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
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