W124 Turbocharger Build - 1994 E420 - Assistance Needed :] - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Blake92 · #1 06-25-2012, 06:14 PM

Hello all of you fellow enthusiasts and experts,

I am looking to replace my 420's engine soon with a lower-mileage unit, and while I am at it I would like to install a new turbocharger from Borg Warner. Does anyone experienced here know what type of things I will need to do to the vehicle to prep it for this tremendous boost in power? What other components are required on a car once you have added a turbo?

I am already a member at MBWorld as well as BenzWorld and was referred here by the members there. They tell me there are quite a lot of turbo projects buzzing around these parts.

My plan is to ship the engine to my mechanic, and then follow suit with the Turbocharger (I'm looking at the Borg Warner EFR 8374), a new suspension system (I've heard a lot about the stock Sportline), new high-performance brakes, and possibly a tranny rebuild (manual w/ Paddle shifters would be fantastic).

I will of course document my progress and upload oodles of pictures and videos here once I get started.

So! Can anyone assist me with getting together this parts list? <3 in Advance.

Cheers!
Blake

'94 Mercedes Benz e420 (235 hp)(soon to be 570+ hp)

Below are some answers to the questions members at the other forums have had for me:

Quote:

Do you have any experience with a project of the magnitude you've spelled out here?

I own a '67 Firebird w/blower and about 800 hp (the dyno cut off), and yes, I've always been a do it yourself kind of gent. I work on all of my cars, and have experience extensively with autos. I've personally felt my way in and out of the engine bay on my 420 and know her inside and out like a glove. I do not, however, have experience installing turbos, and I do not know the necessary upgrades required to install before hand.

Quote:

What kind of Engine will you be building off of?

As I have mentioned, I will be rebuilding either a used M119 w/ ~60k miles, or I will purchase a new engine (somewhere in the 10k dollar range).

Quote:

Do you have funding for this project?

Yes. I would like to keep the cost in the $15-20k dollar range; but someday I hope to have more invested.

whipplem104 · #2 06-25-2012, 07:02 PM

Not to many turbo v8 projects around. Your biggest problems are plumbing exhaust and intake and fuel injection. Just drop the factory ecu and put standalone in it. Steering makes the exhaust fairly difficult. Not a lot of room. I always thought that if you were to run twins that you could put them behind the headlights and get rid of abs and the washer jug. Still getting the down pipes out of the engine bay is going to be hard. The engine is really stuffed in there. If you dropped a/c and moved the oil filter housing you might be able to do a small under mounted setup. Honestly it would be easier to put a blower on it.

MAG58 · #3 06-25-2012, 07:34 PM

Big question. You're in CA. How do you plan on smogging the car?

duxthe1 · #4 06-26-2012, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whipplem104

Honestly it would be easier to put a blower on it.

+1 on that. I've always wanted to see a roots blower on a 119.

The E420 is already 10 gallons of ***** in a 5 gallon bucket, and plumbing a turbo is going to be a nightmare. You've got the budget though, so I've always said you can do anything with enough time and money. To get any useable advice it would help to have an idea of what you intend to do with the car.. ie a drag car, a mean street car, or even a show car? Each would have its own requirements.

Joreto · #5 06-26-2012, 02:18 AM

How about a rear mounted turbo setup like the ones STS (Squires Turbo Systems - Turbocharged Innovation!) , wouldn't it be an easier setup ?

400Eric · #6 06-26-2012, 05:23 AM

+1!!! If space is that big a problem, just do the remote turbo set-up! Don't let anyone talk you into a blower!

You need to start with a 92 4.2 as the 92 is the only 4.2 M119 that is a 10 to 1 compression engine. ALL of the rest of the 4.2 M119s are 11 to 1 engines, which is too high for boost. The 92 engine is also better because it has a closed deck block. The weaker open deck block showed up in the middle of the 93 M.Y. You don't want an open deck block when boost is part of the plan. Aluminum oil tubes instead of the later plastic ones are an added bonus of the 92 engine. If you go with a 5.0 M119 you don't have to worry about compression as they all stayed with 10 to one but you still need to stay with an earlier engine for it's closed deck block. The 4.2 has more meat between the cylinders though, that's another consideration when boosting. (You listening Maggie?) If you still want a 5.0 M119, you can go with a CIS-E equipped unit from a 500SL and you'll get an even taller deck block with longer connecting rods for a better rod ratio if you are into the sort of thing. Yes, the CIS-E injection is less desirable but that's not an issue. (Read on.)

The way around the smog laws out here is to run the car on an alternative fuel. You'll still need to be sniffed for cleanliness every 2 years but you won't be required to run any emissions equipment. Basically anything goes as long as the emissions indicate that the engine is in a good state of tune and everything is working as it should. (I'm pretty sure its this way in a lot of states because they want to encourage alt. energy use.) A bonus to ANY alt. fuel you choose (propane, natural gas, methanol, ethanol, hydrogen, etc.) is that they ALL have a higher octane number than even pump premium, which makes your set-up more tolerant of more boost!
Regards, Eric