Balcones- that's interesting that you experienced that; I had understood that the aluminum m117 was actually lighter than the m103 (original motor for my car).......maybe this is not true after all, or perhaps the difference you noticed could be attributed to a different distribution of engine mass?

I plan on using the more powerful 5.6L motor, so I will have slightly more power and displacement to play around with. The car has had significant suspension modifications, although I'm sure everything will need adjustment after I install the new engine. The other thing that will need some work is the wheel/tire combination, which can certainly affect over/understeer. Lastly, I will be using a 16v steering gear box instead of the looser standard 2.6 box.

Any progress w/ the m119 reiner? Don't know if you saw my previous post, but how do the crankshaft and transmission input shafts match up with your adapter plate?

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1999 C43 AMG ~~~ 744 on black, mostly stock
1991 190e 2.6 ~~~ m117 5.6 project car