Hey guys, so what do you think about owning a rolls royce with a GM engine? there has been a lot of talk about this in Rolls Royce owners club forums so i thought i be "unoriginal" and ask in a benz forum, LOL.

Just to let you know, it costs $20,000-$27,000 to rebuilt a rolls engine (using genuine parts and labor costs), thats why some people decide to use GM conversions for half the price.

Think its ghetto? childish? cool idea? stupid? im open for anything, btw i dont own one so your not going to offend me :-)

This question interests me. The question as I see it is an economic one. With that in mind one would have to ask the question: what is the value of the final end products.

I really don't know but I can't imagine a Rolls engine needing rebuilding during the high value period of its existance.

I have worked on numerous RR, I have only seen a few purchased, but I do happen to know the birth to present adventure of one car, a 1979 silver something edition of the Silver Shadow. I have worked on the owners MBs since 1974 and this one RR. It was sold 4 years ago with 30K miles for 30k dollars.

So... If it does cost 25k to rebuild an engine the car is about worthless without one (most cars aren't going to have the value of a 30k one owner car).

I would say that the car with the chevy motor would be about worthless also (resale value does have something to do with sellability). It seems a wash to me. If the chevy conversion cost half and the car is worth half or less when finished neither solution is economical.

The economical solution is a transplant, from a dismantler (junk yard). In this case you also will reduce the cost by 50% or more and the final value will be uneffected. I don't see the finished used car having any more value with a "rebuilt" motor than the used (there is no point in noting it as one would have to wonder about the rest of the car if the original owner treated it so poorly that the motor needed such repair)

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

I don't know what to think. I have no idea what a RR engine looks like, how many cylinders they have, or even the configuration. I think it'll become a novelty and nothing more or less, merely a curiosity at muscle car shows That is if the Chevy powerplant is a substantial one. If you're gonna do it, then go big

Kuan

Rolls Royce engines are V8 engines for the model year in discussion here. Displacement is 6.75L, and the cylinders and pistons (I've been told) are egg shaped.

As for what to do with this car. This very much depends on your intentions. Any Rolls has collector potential due to the very limited production numbers. If this car is in otherwise immaculate condition, you may want to look up the potential value in a collector book - it is old enough to be in one. Base your decision on those figures. To put a GM <> engine in what was built to be "art on wheels," is a quick way to make the car into a throw away.

Hello everyone good coments

Well kuan, basically put, in my opinon, RR engines are a pain in the butt to work on from its looks. I went to test drive a silver shadow and silver spur and when i asked the salesman to pop the hood, i was in awe. Wires everywhere! cramped working space! components on top of components! kind of like a sardine can or something, lol. Compared to a 84 300D or a 92 300D 2.5, they are very complicated in my opinion.

Steve, usually they dont need rebuilding till about 200K. which is fine for collectors, but if you were to use one for a daily driver, i dunno. i drive 40K a year roughly so in 5 yrs or less (definetly less if i buy a used one cause it will already have some miles on it), i will be faced with some very expensive repair bills.

Like some memebers said in RROC, a rolls can clean out your pocketbook faster than yuo can blink you eyes, and it can have you in tears from the joy of ownership or the repair bills. Not that i cry, LOL.

2 grand for a front windshield, 25 grand for an engine, 5-10 grand in rebuilding the brake system, minimum 5 grand to redo the leather interior (using real OE leather and not just a simple dye job), i dunno, it seems like the repair bills will kill me quick.

diesel, i guess if you buy a rolls thats already converted you can pick it up dirt cheap eh? that dont bother me, other than the originality issue.

If one had one's heart set on driving 200k in a Roller in a few years (you know that RRs are designed to be ridden in not driven - they drive very poorly by enthusiatic standards), one should come to Florida where they are worth next to nothing and buy one and drive it 100k, off it, and come back and buy another.

I suppose everything has an end of life, but I wouldn't put the engine into my long term maintenance plans on a Rolls.

I hate to say it, but the cost of major engine repair in most autos has gotten higher than the value of the vehicles by the time when these issues take place.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

I wouldn't put a Mazda engine into the Benz, and neither would I put a GM into a RR.

The RR runs superbly on its original 6.7 litre cast iron engine and I doubt if the GM engine comes any closer than that. Rebuilt a RR engine once, and it runs for a long long time provided its maintanece schedule is not compromised. That is the beauty of this marque.

Its money well worth spent and the RR pedigree is well-secured.

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... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

Thank for the reply ysmin and steve,

so another question for all of you, would you go from a 92 300D 2.5 turbo to a 1970's rolls royce silver shadow or 1980's silver spur?

these cars lack ABS, airbags, CD players, and other features we take for granted. It would feel awfully awkward to me to be put into a 70's car lacking all these safety and comfy features.

If I were to own a RR, I doubt that I would use that car as a daily driver. It would be more of a vehicle to drive on a weekend or special occasion, or maybe if I wanted to REALLY impress somebody. I did have the occasion to buy one a few years ago. Fortunately for me, the price and my budget would not allow it at the time. It would have been BIG TIME fun though to have had that car in the driveway in the neighbourhood that I lived in then. Actually, it would be a major stand out where I live now. My 240D is the only MB in the immediate area.

luxury vs practicality ... your pick.

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... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

Forget about it.Most cars the engine is not the money eater.Some recent year roll's are a dollar sponge.For one thing they use lucas eltricks a while back I came close to buying one of the later models,after a serious web research,I passed.These cars are an anacronism.When the silver ghost existeded they where top of the heep.Since then they are just another british car with all the warts.

And another thing...Rollers drive like very luxurious pickup trucks....not really a very connected drive at all. (According to magazine reviews of older models). If you want a nice Brit-car with Chevy V-8 power, look for a 70s or 80s Jaguar XJ-6 with a 350 V-8 and TH700R4 4-speed automatic...they are out there.

"Grace, space, and IN YOUR FACE!"

-Sam

MBZ380se wrote:

"If you want a nice Brit-car with Chevy V-8 power, look for a 70s or 80s Jaguar XJ-6 with a 350 V-8 and TH700R4 4-speed automatic...they are out there.

You could also try a Jensen Interceptor. Chrysler 440cu in engine, torqueflight trans, simple but effective mechanics, Connelly Leather..............and that beautiful shape!

No idea of the selling prices over there, but here in England you can pick up a good-un for about £6-8K.

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Paul Gibbons
'93 320CE
'73 Jensen Interceptor (Resting)
Giant Full Sus Mountain Bike

You can't fool me! The REAL question here is "What do you think about replacing the motor in a Mercedes-Benz with a Ford V8 (or V10!)"??????

As I recall this was done a lot in the '80's, usually a 302 into a 280S, etc. Had a friend who had one: it actually ran damn well, didn't overheat, got good mileage, etc. He said he got the car (with a blown engine) for under a Grand, had the motor (a fresh rebuild) sitting around, and spent more on the install than what he had in the two together. He just loved it and drove it to work (about a 50 mile round trip) for over 5 years. Never a problem. Thought it was a sharp idea as it worked out great for him!

There are pretty good programs available for putting the 302 or a 4.6L into the 7XX series Volvo, a 350 in older Land Cruisers, V8's into Miata, the previously-mentioned 350 into Jaguars...

Ever hear the term "Hot Rod"? How's about "Chopper"?

I know if I had access to a clean, older RR with a blown motor, for the right, RIDICULOUSLY LOW pri$e, I might take a look at a rebuilt 454 and a Turbohydro, or a 440 and a Torqueflite, or a 460 and a C6: you could probably sell the RR transmission and pay for the entire swap!

For some people it is all (and ONLY!) about their own self-image. Look at the house, the toys, the Trophy Wife! Other people seem to be less concerned about appearances and more concerned about actually living. IMHO, of course!

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'91 420 SEL @ 199K, '92 SVX @ 181K, '93 SC400 @ 86K, '93 Kaw ZX-11 @ 30K, '87 F250 @ 181K , 2001 Valkyrie Interstate @ 6K, Y2K Honda NightHawk 250 with 1.5K, '88 420SEL I.@ 179K & the 2nd latest, an '88 420SEL II.@ 210K runnin' parts car, '85 F150 300/NP435

The rolls royce engine is actually a very strong engine. My dad had the top half of his silver spur's engine rebuilt, cost was around $5k, but the car had well over 200k miles on it when he did that, and only due to the head gasket finally going out.

THe GM conversion is a likely candidate, mainly because the rolls uses a GM tranny, Power Steering pump and Air conditioning compressor, which makes it much easier to do the conversion. I suggested it to my father, but he opted to have the work done on his versus do an engine swap.

Alon

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'92 300CE - Sold
2004 C240 - 744 - C7 Wheels - Android Radio
2002 C320 - 816 - Sport Wagon