500 or 560?
 

Hopefully, I'm going to get to go look at a 560sel.
Other than crawling into the engine compartment with a flashlight and looking at the motor number stamped on the block, is there a quick and efficient way to tell a 560 from a 500?

I don't want to discover that the motors have been swapped. I'll only have the opportunity to look at the car, not touch it and take things apart, well except maybe the air cleaner.

Thx -CTH

A couple of good pointers are that the 560 should have a rear electric bench seat and rear self levelling suspension as standard.

Pre 1986 engines have silver valve covers ...so,if its silver when you pop the hood,its a 500.

Script on trunk lid.

The body is definitely a 560. It's the engine that I'm suspecious of. Valve covers is a good clue. Anything more solid? Like the WUR part number or position of some of the gizmos at or about the intake?

Thx -CTH

560's have a distributor cover... while the 500's didn't. 560's also had dual snorkels on the airbox... while 500's only had one. Another good sign was mentioned... the valve covers. Starting 1986, the M117 recieved black valve covers. Earlier, they were silver. No 560 motor was made before 1986(well, some very late 1985's were made) and finding a 500 motor in the US thats from a 1986+ is like hens' teeth.

Anyone can put anything on the trunk lid.

Heck, on ebay there's gold SEC advertised as a 1985 560SEC AMG. The VIN # shows it as a 500SEC.

theres a few minor things, even my 380 has black valve covers, anyone can switch those.

Two quick check things, the 560/420 distributor is going to be much larger than the 380/500, and the 380/500 will have two fuel lines running to a silver "box" (cold start) just in front of the air box on the passenger side.