V-12 int 107
 

Has anyone ever seen a V-12 installed into a 107. Does anyone have the overall dimmensions of a SL600 engine.

John Roncallo

It has been done on a W126, so I am sure it can be done in an R107. Does anyone actually have the dimensions of the M120??? I am sure it can be done, but the problem would be to find the right person to do it for the right price.

I've not seen anything about attempting that conversion, but there's a long-running story about a 107 repowered with a 6.3 V8:

http://www.carcentric.com/Ludwigproject.htm

If that's any indication, there could be a fair amount of rework involved!

Why bother? You already have a car that will go from zero to speeding ticket as fast as any car around. If you think fixing a 380 or 450 engine is expensive, wait until you get to a V-12.

Install a 5 liter, 300 hp Ford and you can blow out the rear end as fast as with a V-12, and at 1/3rd. the price.

The Ford or Chevy options have been a concept I'v been kicking arround. But a smoooooooooooooth V-12 in something as sexy as a 107 is a very interesting.

John Roncallo

Yes, you could get a ford motor to push all of that power, but it would just not be the same as a fire breathing, supercar status. Plus, it would not be the same car with that ford. The Mercedes motor would retain the heart and soul found in the SL. However smart money would say to put something like an M119 into the car. It is a bit cheaper to run a,d when properly equipped, it will take down a 600. However, you just wouldn't get the same feel or touch with the V8 as you would with the V12. There is just that rush, that exhileration when you push on the accelerator that cannot be duplicated by a car without it soul. I know that my SL600 has a heart and soul, as she loves the warm weather, and she loves to tan in the sun. She also like cool nights, where she lets me know she likes the weather by giving me all of the tender loving power she has. And she loves to move, as she keeps screaming for more, as I push the accelerator further and further.

Oh boy, she is much more than a car, she is like a soulmate, one that wouldn't be the same if she had a for emblem under the hood, instead of the 3 pointed star.

"Its just the way you make my heart smile, no matter if your near or far...
Its like a trip through the stars while, while I'm riding on a star yeah." Lyrics from MMercedes Benz World Racing.

Justin

You paint such a wondeful picture.

The long hood of the 107 is just aching for a V12. Maybe it's just my Ferrari exposure talking to me.

John Roncallo

Yes, it may possibly be. To me, there is nothing better than hearing the snarl of the V-12 as it pulls to the redline, and then shifts. It is just such a wonderful sound that can not be duplicated by any other motor. You feel the power spool up and that SOB take off. It eats up the marks on the speedo like none other. I agree a 107 with a V12 would be awesome, not to mention unique. Yes, you can get a ford or chebby motor with more power and more sound, but there is just something special about that 3 pointed star on the top of the motor, saying its a Mercedes. It tells you that someone put his heart and soul into a car to give you an automobile that is unmatched by anything else, and something that cannot touch its class.

When you pull up to an event, and people see that 3 pointed star, they know you have made it, and when you modify that 3 pointed star, you lose something unique to it. I have ridden in a friends 190E 5.0 (ford), and I must say that it is just not the same as having a Mercedes V8 under the hood. It makes you smile everytime you drive a car with a heart and soul, so you should keep its classand elegance by leaving it a pure 3 pointed star. I mean mod away, as long as you do it with Mercedes Genuine parts.

Justin

May I ask a favor. The next time you are under or on top of your car, can you get me some approximate dimensions.

1) Length of engine from nose of water pump the back of engine (where the bell housing mounts)

2) Back of engine to where the oil pan sump starts.

3) Back of engine to where the oil pan sump ends.

4) Oil pan sump height

5) Width of engine exhaust manifold to exhaust manifold.

6) Height of engine Bottom of sump to top of intake manifold.

John Roncallo

Yes, both types of M-100 engines (6.3 and 6.9) have been put into R107 cars. I don't know that an M120 has, but certainly it's theoretically possible. Other conversions have been done as well ... a 6.3 into a W113 280SL, a couple of different M120 projects going into W126 coupes, M119s into W126es, etc.

Biggest problem with dropping an M120 into any car is the electrics/electronics, and crafting the wiring harnesses.

Cheers,
Gerry

I would probably only attempt to do this by getting a whole car as a doner one that starts and has all wiring harnesses, computers and sensors. It looks to me that the doner car would have to be an SL600 because the sump on the SL moter is up front. The S amd SEC have the sump in the center of the oil pan. I need to find a good rearended and totaled SL600 96 and up. (I also want the 5 speed trany)

John Roncallo

You missed the biggest issue measurement- width across the intake from outsid eof M16 to outside of M16- I can't see this working without major mods to the 107- the 120 is a wide engine- a 137 may be a better fit. The weight is also an issue- the M120 is wayyyy heavy- making your 107 dance a little more at high speeds...yikes!!
The other issue to consider is the intake air boxes, mass air flow sensors, etc. The engine management considers this engine as 2 104 engines, and compares them to each other. With the early ones, there was actually an unpublished changeup to the left side boxes and snorkle hose (right bank) that I did to several cars to stop problematic check engine lights.

Could it be done- of course, nothing is impossible, but to do it right, you could probably buy a couple year old 230 600 for the same cost!!

Do you think the weight is higher than that of an iron block 450SL engine.

John Roncallo

Without looking it up- I would say yes- when you pull a M120 out- it lifts our cherry picker off the ground (you need someone standing on the back of it)- I can check for you tomorrow

Where can you actually look up the weight of an engine.

John Roncallo