The fronts have a particular structure to them and not a regular tube like recess which one sees everywhere on the net

You will need to probably cut that out. If so, I’ll buy that cut out perch from both sides

Honestly this swap is not as easy as you may think and again I ask why bother. There are tons of nice 450 SEL's still around. The HPF system is what makes a 6.9 a 6.9, why bugger around???

Let me pose a simple A or B.

Situation: Gifted a salvage title non operational w116 that's sat for 7+ years.

Option A) Hire a professional shop to fix the broken HPF at the estimated cost of $10k to $20k.

Option B) Remove the HPF by myself in my garage, sell it, and fund the installation of a basic 450SEL springs setup or coiler system. Whatever is most simple while still being of quality.

When everything is said and done , it’s your project, your property, your time and effort, and money investment. Other than valued opinions and we all have them , it’s solely your car. Unless there’s an unknown benefactor out there, I would drive on with what you want If it turns into a blunder then it’s solely your loss

I appreciate that, thank you Greazzer! And thank you for the tips!!

Whatever you decide to do, please send us pics.

If you do decide to yank the HPF parts I might be a player if they are not too crusty and the price is right. PM me if you go that route, cheers.

Did your friend ever drive his favorite car?
Does he have a story to match the events that precipitated that body work?

Time is money. If you have the fabrication skills to re-do the front spring perches and can source beefier springs, you could try your hand at what you are suggesting. But you have a quagmire of fuel injection, transmission, exhaust and rear end troubles to get past and that's just to get it moving. Then there's the interior thankfully, you only need another W116 body for that.

Before you give up on the HPC system, you might want to just get the repair parts for it and replace a few things. Start with a few blocks of wood in strategic spots and some bits of rubber from a cut up tire and and get the car running before you start cutting and welding.

There should be sufficient info on the web. If you want to hold a book in your hand, you want the "1977 Introduction to service" manual, which appears on ebay often enough. In fact, I just googled that and found this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/224439258119

-CTH

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