I found out one good piece of information on the MS forums today. That is that the GPIO card can be used stand alone for controlling the transmision. It will not talk to an MS1 ECU but it will do all I need to run the transmission. That means that I can use an MS1 and get full COP but I will have to use 2 of them. And then I can run the GPIO by itself stand alone to run the transmission.

I also understand that the MS1 can be upgraded later to an MS2 which with the GPIO will drive 12 cylinder COP with one unit.

I'm looking into a new plan.

Start with MS1 and the extra code required to run COP. Get 6 cylinders running with full COP. Hopefully by that time the GPIO will be available and I can install the daughter card to convert to MS2, and run 12 cyl COP with one unit and also control my transmission.

Your thoughts
John Roncallo

Iv'e been working on the exhaust today and completed the down pipes and trans mount. These are my practice exhaust. The stainless is on order. I painted the SL500 output flange and installed it. So the drive shaft is complete.

I noticed that MB no longer paints the output flanges on the transmissions like they used to. That is probably why the flange I showed in one of my previous post of a 2000 SL500 with less than 30K miles is rusty and the original painted one in my 1986 560SL with 200K miles looks good. This probably has to do with the Mercedes Quality Reduction Program they instituted so succesfuly in the early 90's. It must have been stiff competition from Yugo and Skoda that drove them to it. In any case its going on a 560SL so it gets painted.

Things are starting to go a little more mechanical these days and all of the really heavy mods have been developed and completed. I will have to take the subframe out one last time for more tweeks to get better alternator and compressor clearance. The material is on order for these mods.

I also purchased a set of throttle bodies from a 5 liter Mustang for use with the installation of Megasquirt. I'm still not sure which will come first Megasquirt or MB computers or maybe Megasquirt when I find I cant get the MB computers to work.

John Roncallo

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Kay, after your done with this one, I've got another one for you. Same job, only the engine is going into my 560 SEC. I'll supply all the parts/parts cars whatever, and keep sending you wads of cash, and bank checks. Just make it nice,nice for me, and check in with me when you either need more money for yourself, or the car. I'll settle up with final expenses in the end, and we can race our two V-12 cars.

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Im sure we could work something out.

John Roncallo

Yeah, we definately gotta do something. I'd like to take a look at your project also. What town, in Ct. are you in..? We should get together. Gotta run for now, but what are your plans for tomorrow, or one day this week..? I have nothing better to do with my day aside from drive around. It can be boring. I'm semi retired @ the moment. Not a good idea, @ 29 years old, so I'm looking for something to do. My company is more or less running itself, so now I just check in, every now and then, and all is well...

Nick

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Im in Yalesville about 10 miles from you PM me and we can make arrangements so you can come down. Semi retired at the moment would be a great idea for me. In fact fully retired would be even better.

John Roncallo

PM me with those pics and I will be glade to help, as I would like to keep discussions not having to do with an M120 into a 107 out of this thread.

John Roncallo

This weeks progress consisted of re-routing brake and fuel lines, fabrication of a new alternator bracket and nearly finishing up the subframe. I made my own alternator bracket out of steel so that I could weld a steel airpump bracket to it. I still have to do the airpump bracket.

The subframe mods consited of completely eliminating the forward mount cups and replacing them with my own which will be 2 1/2" ID tubes welded to a flat plate to accept universal urithane mounts from Energy Suspension. The tubes are not made yet, but will have to have a side slice removed with a flat plate welded across so that clearance can be maintained. the urithane bushings will have a side trimed down to fit in the semi circulare tubes.

The urithane mounts also required me to make fittings that adapt the mounts to the car. This was pretty much 1 days work with my less than stellar machining skills. These fittings are shown in one of the attached photes. Taper boreing urithane was a challange and was acomplished by taking a 1/2" tube and grinding away 90% of its cross section for the last 1" of tube. The edge of theis cut was sharpened to make a very high rake boaring bar. It worked beautifully but the chuck would put high spots on the bore, so each pass of the operation required re-indexing the urithane 60° to make the bore eyeball close to round. A more elaborate chucking solution will be used in the futer.

Before the engine goes in the following needs to be accomplished.
1) Wash engine bay
2) Complete subframe, paint and install
3) Replace front Engine seal
4) Fabricate airpump bracket and install belt
5) Re-seal stearing gear and install.
6) Replace engine oil pan

The suspension can be installed as soon as all parts are overhauled and painted.

The transmission mount, although complete needs to be modified to accept the use of an exhaust pipe mount from the 129.

All exhaust stainless steel, with the exception of 3 custom bends is in house and ready for fitting and welding.

All material for shifter linkage mods is in and ready to weld

Custom PS lines need to be fabricated

Radiator will wait untill first start.

Engine will most likely need to come out again to provide modifications for throttle linkages.

John Roncallo

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Subframe is now complete. Airpump bracket is complete except for welding. Engine installed. Trans mount fully modified and complete. My fuel line reroute did not seem to hold gas at the splice so that still need repair. Shift linkage was modified and installed.

Engine will have to come out one more time to design and fabricate and install throttle linkage. I also want to grind one area for additional clearance. And I still need to change the oil pan. Next time it goes in it stays.

Power stearing gear needs to be re-sealed. All front end components need to be cleaned, overhauled and installed.

So fabrication prior to wiring and first start is now limiter to:
Complete air pump bracket
Modify PS lines
Complete Stainless Exhaust System
Fabrication of oil cooler fittings.

First start will probably be done with a serogate radiator.

John Roncallo

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Amazing!! Wish I had your skills, tools, and patience to do this. Mine is coming together but VERY slowly.

Don't forget to take a video of your beast once the engine is running!!

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
FrankenBenz: '87 560SEC with an '02 cammed LS6 and custom 4L60E.
Bling: '87 560SEC, ported/polished, lowered
Lisa: '87 560SEL, lowered

It doesnt seem like much for this weekend but actually small details take alot of time. This week I finidshed up the alternator and airpump brackets. I designed these as seperate brackets so that If I get rid of the MB computers, I can also loose the airpump, If I want to.

I did a few more mods on the subframe just to get a bit more clearance. I installed a new oil pan on the engine. Repaired my leaky fuel lines. The engine could be put in at this time but I decided to leave it out as I want to replace one small heater hose that is in the back of the engine. The hose is OK but its one of those $5.00 hoses in a $1000.00 location, meaning the engine has to come out to change it. Once I get the heater hose the engine will go in and oil and trans fluid will be added.

In any case nothing is stoping me from putting the front end together except time.

Next weekend I will be in London so not much will happen for a while.

John Roncallo

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Keep pluging away. We have a drag race to do somewher in the midwest remember (Benz motor vs. Vett motor) or (SadieInRed vs Frankenbenz) something like that.

John Roncallo

Hey John, How are ya'?
All is fairly well here. Sorry I haven't been up to help in a little while. I've been in OSHA's school, for the last couple weeks, and been up at my summer home on the weekends. I have to actually go to a job site in the morning for my first actual work. I'm supposed to monitor an Asbestos removal job, Monday through Friday for the next couple weeks, out in Danbury. It's credit for the school, as well as paid work all wrapped into one tidy little package..
Just been dividing my time up between driving back and forth to NewJersey, a few days a week, and staying there a lot of nights to save myself the aggravation, and delays of the Merrit Parkway traffic. I don't understand how the heck you can make that slow ass drive every day of the week, twice a day to work, and back..Progress on car seems to be a bit out of the realm of my ability for the moment atleast. I hope to be of some help however, when you can use my assistance. I hate it when I have to just stand and watch over your shoulder, to learn, and observe, but as you know, I don't have a whole lot to offer, and it's your project anyways..Didn't know you were going away. Gimme a call though, and perhaps I'll drop in one night this week, after I get back in town one night. Talk to you soon and take care of yourself and family.

Nick

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The front end is ready to go in. Thats a job I can probably let you do on your own as I overhaul the parts. In a few weeks I will be doing the exhaust and could use some help.

John Roncallo

Back from London the Britts say hello.

Thursday, before I left I received all the little hoses I needed to replace before installing the engine. If you look at the pictures you will understand why I wanted to change these hoses before installing. I was tempted to stay up late and put the engine in but I new Friday was going to be a long day with both work and travel so I held off until just yesterday when I finnaly put the engine in hopefully for the second to last time. I do know it will come out at least one more time for paint. In any case I would have taken a picture of it installed but it just looks like the first post I put up about 6 months ago.

Today I started overhauling the front end components. The lower ball joints are replaced. The upper ball joints will be resealed and all controll arm bushings will be replaced. I finished cleaning the parts and have a coat of primer on so far.

From this point on the only fabrication I have to do is exhaust and small brackets for stuff like throttle controllers, overflow tanks ect.

Progress will slow down once I get the wheels on and brakes blead as the car will come off the lift and my other cars that have been neglected will go on for service. I also have a car show coming up on September 23rd at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford CT. I will not have this car running unless some miricle happens but I will trailer it in. If anyone is interested in seing this car it will be on display. You can PM me for details. So the focus will now change from getting the car running to dressing both my 560SL's for show.

John Roncallo

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