1978 450SLC Super beater/lemons race car

[rwd4evr]

I recently bought a '78 450 slc with a 4speed manual transmission conversion. i got it running but have to replace the clutch hydraulics to see if the trans is ok. Its just running on a kjet rig i built to run it separate from the questionable fuel tank. It wants to go if you hit the key in first so thats a good sign. body is rough but savable for my purpose.

Im selling the euro headlights and pretty much everything besides the running gear and maybe wipers. I have a couple other parts cars i so i have tons of parts to use for this build. it has good blue console(broken top bar though) and some good door panel/rear side panels. let me know if you need stuff.

My plan is to strip it down to bare necessities to get it as light as possible, remove all the interior parts,dash, headliner, every thing that isn't making it street legal and drive-able is gone.ill keep enough of the vent system for some heat and defrost capabilities. i have some roller window doors on another car ill use and wil probably put a lexan fixed rear window in the rear roll up spot. do some rust repair and get some body work practice with patch panels from the rusty in different spots jewels i have.

The car was spun out into something and broke a wheel and bent the rear control arm im pretty sure, the subframe is getting changed just in case its tweaked .I have a euro 280SLC with a 3.46 rear diff and subframe to use for better acceleration. i have anti squat and 2.46 lsd from a 560sl but i want to know if i can put the lsd carrier with the 3.46 gears back in the slc case? i know that Chevy rear axles and alot of others have separations in the gear ratio a particular gear carrier wil work with, 2.73-3.23 for example. Are the carriers any different throughout the ratios? They are all the 210 mm ring gear im pretty sure.

I plan on driving it on the street for a while probably deliver pizza in it sometimes and beating on it in general for fun and to break any thing that wants to break. also to see if i like the way it handles and modify/prepare the suspension for track use. I've never driven a slc hard even though i have three of them. My goal is to get it down to 2500 pounds or so, and really less but i think that's a little ambitious. i have an aluminum hood too.it will be lowered a bit but not enough to screw with the suspension geometry and camber curve. I'm hoping one spring coil cut will do the trick.

I also have 2 5.6 late m117 motors that i could swap the heads on to the 4.5 iron block i think but i cant afford to lose compression. Ive read they flow way better. has anyone done this? . does any one have cam specs for the different m117/116 engines? i have bunches to chose from for the best performance.

Since pretty much all of the cars will have more than paid for them selves in parts sales it will be completely legal for 24 hours of lemons racing. So, i may be looking for other benz addicts that can drive and turn wrenches for a team. i've got a big warehouse/shop full of cars and tools and want to build a good fun street beater/track day/lemons race car from a vintage benz. The only lemons r/c107 ever run was smallblock chevy powered and automatic trans, thats not right.


The first pic is what she will be except no shiny paint or comfy stylish interior. second is the rear subframe and roll up window door donor and the third one is the beauty()in all her glory. Chime in if you have any info that may be useful or ideas about suspension and engine tuning, but remember it's a car that sat languishing and being a mouse house for 7-10 years and was already converted from stock, so don't give me a bunch of "your ruining that car" crap please. All the cars any parts are coming from would still be mouse houses or crushed if Fonzi didn't find them and one of us bought them.

[rowdie]

Who did the manual trans conversion?

[rwd4evr]

Some one that owned it before the guy I got it from. We're assuming 350slc or Sl parts were used. I need to replace the slave cylinder, the one listed for v8 cars is 125$ or around there but I can't find any difference in the one from every 4speed diesel or gas 70s cars. Same bore and bolt pattern but 25$ instead. Maybe pushrod or piston difference but I should be able to use my parts in a newly rebuilt casting. Mine looks rough but I have saved them with jb weld and a wheel cylinder hone. . The guy I bought it from never drove it. Saw it driven around the yard once he says. It all looked factory. I think it was some ones project beater until he crashed it. The driver side is torn up about guardrail height and the passenger control arm is way bent. I think it went for quite a ride! The rear wheel is so out of whack it chewed off the snow tire rollers I towed it on, surprised it didn't wag all over the place on the dolly. The guy who sold it to me was told the battery was dead and was too expensive to replace. Funny that it holds a charge perfectly and looks new after sitting long enough to fill the glove box and rockers with fluffy mouse house stuffing. I yanked the interior with fonzi's help and pressure washed the inside out!! It was a stinker. Has almost brand new looking stainless exhaust. The catalytic converter will probably go bye bye after I antique tag it and it won't have to pass inspection ever again.

[rwd4evr]

I'm going to move this to the performance section. Please let me know if you have any 4.5 k-jet upgrades.