spam: [W126 Coupe] 380 to 500 euro conversion

[Dick Spellman]

Wait a minute Mark.  Was the 500 a euro and the 560 a US engine???  Not 
apples to apples right??

The single chain 380 motor runs just fine.  It's just that I know the 
clock is ticking and the chain could go at any time.  So, I am, being 
pro-active so to speak.  Who knows what may actually transpire.  A lot 
depends on other's efforts to work the kinks out on a whole new level 
of  machine madness that I am sworn to secrecy on!!!

Hey, did you ever plant that nice MOMO Fighter wheel in your coupe???

Dick

mark defrancisco wrote:

> 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