Has anyone succeeded in finding suitable donor parts to do this right? Please share details and photographs of your work!

There are no parts that will fit directly. It takes a lot of fabrication, modification and compromise to fit anything. Unless you have some significant engine performance modifications that push the limit of exhaust temperatures, an intercooler does not make much of a difference.

When I get home I'll post some pictures I have collected.

Thanks, would love to see those!

On a W126, you're lucky, there is tons of room to work, and lots of space for both an intercooler and plumbing. Some assorted photos are at this link, however most are of the 124.

Some pics of a 300SDL with a nicely-installed, front-mount intercooler are here.

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Those SDL pics are odd... I would think it more efficient to wrap the exhaust, than the intake.

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He did. The exhaust is wrapped, the intake is not.

Where did he get that intercooler from? I bet one out of an E300D would work.

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Beats me. However the factory IC's have plastic tanks, and are not always the proper size for a custom install in a 124/126. You can easily get nice IC's of the right size on eBay, and several vendors will custom-fab an IC to your specs. It's worth it, IMO, to pay a bit more for an IC that will fit properly.

That's a clean install

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

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Here are some random collection pictures.

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More.

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