I have been kindly advised this is the proper forum for this type question:

We are located on the West Coast. Well, Portland anyway...
Are there any performance oriented short or long block replacement engines available for this series 4.2 V8 ? Rebuilders or exchange? All I've read in the magazines over the years seems to be based upon either the 5.0 or 5.6. Nothing way out there, just a viable performance/reliability upgrade over stock. Pro's vs. Con? CO$T?

Thanks in advance for your consideration!

How much do you want to spend? A euro motor versus a US motor would be the best bet and a 560 or 500 versus your 420 would be another good option.

Matt.

Figured I would share an example of the diffrence in euro and US engines.
My 500 235-245bhp Never got an exact number top speed 135
US version 184bhp top speed 115 (I think)
A while back there was a post on euro coversion I will see if I can find the link tommarow.

Does anybody on the West Coast do a quality rebuild/reman for this series engine? Are there even any performance upgrades
(Mahle pistons?) available? Like I indicated, this is more of a planning/budgeting exercise than a short term crisis as my MB is running great. If I knew what was available in the way of options (like "ya' ship your motor to XYZ Co. and they rebuild it and send it back to you with a bill for $?,???.?? ") I could get started on setting the dough aside...

I hope I have the right number of spaces to the left of the decimal point... This can be done for under 5 figures, can't it?

I know one can always spend a lot more $, but is that really even necessary?

If your willing to spend that much money forget your engine find an AMG engine. that will dill your need for power.

Storminnorman,

There's only so much you can do with this car. We have a ton of experience with the 126's and are on the West Coast. We have lot's of customers in the Portland area for various items although no serious hi-po work.

For serious hp increases you only have two options that are fairly cost effective:
i) 300hp Euro560 engine. @ 10k installed
ii) Mosselman supercharger. +70-80 hp for $6000 installed.

There are lots of little things you can do such as AMG-spec camshafts, port/polish heads, euro exhaust manifold and downpipes, etc., but none of them have good $/HP ratios.

The smartest things to do with your car to improve performance for a reasonable budget are:
i) first gear start (no actual improvement in acceleration but it will make it feel tons livelier. @$300 (plus DIY install)
ii) 2.82:1 rear differential. @$995 (plus install & shipping)
iii) lowering springs (i.e., H&R's for $300 plus install)

-Carl
Principal
www.bergwerks.com

A newer 560 motor would be most logical. You have the newer fuel injection already, a 560 would bolt right up with no major mods. $10K for a 560 Euro is pure insanity. I bought 2 with 40K each for $2500 from a shop that is no longer in business but I'm sure you can shop around. I know metric motors will build a brand new one for you for 6-7K. Install could be done in a day or 2 since yours is the same car, just different block. I have a 3.27 rear end and I would say that it is a bit too much. If I floor it, I smoke the tires half way thru 2nd gear. I used to have a 2.82 and it was better all around. A 2.82 with a 560, even a U.S. 560, you'll notice a big difference. A U.S. 560 is very underrated at 238hp. More like 270 or so.

Mike
1983 500SEC 5.6 Euro
AMG headers, exhaust, 3.27 gears

Mike,

It's very hard to find used Euro560's in the U.S. anymore. Metric Motors is the right way to go - that's where we get ours. Once your done with some extra parts and installation, shipping, etc. $10k is a pretty real number if you're paying for labor.

Your car sounds sweet. Do you have a Gleason-Torsen 3.27?

I'm not sure that I agree with your estimate of 270 for a stock U.S. 560. I've never seen one. My car has AMG cams, euro exhaust manifold and downpipes, ported and polished heads, etc. and dynoed at 285-290 hp. All the stock cars I've seen dyno'd were 220-240hp.

Have you hooked up with the www.mbcoupes.com crowd? 300 SEC nuts.

-Carl

__________________
-Carl
Principal, BergWerks

Mike,

I've brought this up before, but never got much of a response -- why was the 117.968 mill underrated? For insurance reasons or? And how do we know that it was underrated? Dyno tests?

Intriguing!

What kind of performance figures did you get with the Euro motor and 3.27 gears? Too cool!

Inquiring W126 minds want to know!

Insurance was the big reason. Luxary car with power! See the insurance rates go up

"Metric Motors" is a term I'm unfortunately unfamiliar with... Remember, I'm still very new at this MB game. I presume there is a link available? Financially, spending $6-7K for a "new" built motor sounds in the ballpark: are we taking a rebuild of mine or a 560? The concept of getting any sound 560 block with only 40K for a couple of grand is even better.

So the '91 has the "newer fuel injection" system, etc. Does everything else just basically bolt up? Exhaust manifolds, intake, etc.

Thanks to all of you for your kind consideration!

Stormin Norman,

Metric Motors is an engine rebuilder in L.A. that does top notch work for reasonable rates. The $6-7k will buy you a Euro560 with 10:1 compression, etc. that should put out up to 300hp with no cats. It's the most reliable way to boost the power that high as it's a stock setup and a new engine. That's the price with a core exchange - I think the core charge is about $1,000 otherwise.

Add to that the cost of pulling your engine, shipping, transferring all the accessories, etc. and you should be ready to spend up to $10k to complete the job. To get the full 300hp though, you'll need the euro exhaust manifold and downpipes which are not easy to find used. They're available in Europe new, but plan on spending $2k between purchase and shipping.

U.S. 560's are much cheaper and easier to come by. Typically $1,500 - $2,500 depending upon the condition. One of our customers sold a perfect 50k engine for $2,500 recently after putting in a Euro560.

-Carl

__________________
-Carl
Principal, BergWerks

Now we are talkin'! $2,500 for a 560 long block is So! "in the ballpark" it could be Home Plate!

Keep me in mind if something like this ever comes up available again, please! I could probably run down to your neck-o-the-woods with my truck and pick it up if it wasn't practical to do the swap at the time...

Norm Olt (503) 655-6372

Too much messing around, IMO... but it sounds intriguing. I would only make such mods if my motor were on its way out which is a loooong way off.

In the meantime, I'll sell my 560, sell some poorly performing stock and go buy a '92 500E!

The most economical time to do the swap is when your existing engine is ready for a valve job. The price isn't much difference and you get SO much more out of it.

Just make sure you keep the car in good enough condition that it's worth doing then (typically @ 150k+ miles).

Then again, if that's far off and you want a little more pep, do it whenever. The best short term mods with the existing engine are still a 2.82 and first gear start though.

Norm, I'll keep an eye out and let you know if we come across any good donors!

__________________
-Carl
Principal, BergWerks