american V8 in a vintage

[grezm0nkey]

just wanted to ask everyone if they had experience or info on swapping out an old MB mill for a small block. theres an old 66 250se coupe that is a prime candidate for such a swap. was thinking all corvette suspension, drivetrain and mill. the car can be had for a couple grand. i would save the extras for my 67 250sec and gut the salvage for a conversion.

were there any writen material or sites that had the conversion process? any suggestions, do's and donts, etc. thanks in advance.

grez

[GaryF]

This seems to be a regular question on the forum, please dont take this the wrong way, but as a non-american I dont really get it (or maybe I shouldnt). Is it the fact that maintenance of a US V8 is easier over there, or there's more power and noise ?
I've never seen a post in Europe asking about removing a Mercedes engine in favour of something else.

[alabbasi]

Its the same reason why they put them in Jaguars here in the US.
Parts for these old american v8's are cheap and easy to get hold off. Once you put one in, any Mechanic here can work on the engine and you no longer need a specialist (at least for the engine). And there is the obvious power increase. The small block engine can fit in a smaller Mercedes Benz car and give it a huge power boost.

Here is a link to an msn group that discusses it.

http://groups.msn.com/MB108109Ford302351Wengineswapers/home.htm

[wbain5280]

People put Ford and Chevy V8's into Volvos as well.

Mercedes tends to have a more glamorous, prestigious image in North America than in Europe, and their cars and parts are priced accordingly. Few Mercedes sedans have ever been pressed into taxi use. Also, it's far easier to find a distributor for a 1971 Chevrolet engine than one for a 1971 Mercedes V8.

Ireland? You must have a lot of old DeLorean parts to pick and choose from.

[grezm0nkey]

garyf - my reason for doing so is basically said. its cheap for parts and i can get it from the corner parts store. any kind of combination for power and drivablility of the car is in a catalog waiting for a phone call. noise on the other hand is not a standard option for everyone who is american. i do agree with some cars and motorcycles it goes hand and hand like white rice and chopsticks.

I have a 67 250sec and have no plans to alter the car in any way.original is how i got it, and original is how i will keep it. some parts are hard to come by and expensive when found. what i can salvage from a donor car for the preservation on the one i have is a no brainer. if i can salvage the remains of the donor car from the scrap heap is icing on the cake. i would do the same if we had nothing but japanese cars here, which is pretty close, and i had but japan made motors to put in. like a honda, toyota, nissan, etc. even a daewoo or even 6 guys on bicycle cranks, if i were in china.

maybe i should have said a v6, huh? thanks for the link.cheers

grez

[GaryF]

Originally Posted by PaulC

Mercedes tends to have a more glamorous, prestigious image in North America than in Europe, and their cars and parts are priced accordingly. Few Mercedes sedans have ever been pressed into taxi use. Also, it's far easier to find a distributor for a 1971 Chevrolet engine than one for a 1971 Mercedes V8.

Ireland? You must have a lot of old DeLorean parts to pick and choose from.

Have you ever looked at a DeLorean POS close up, I wouldnt borrow parts for my lawnmower. Thanks for the responses, makes sense. A friend of mine has a British '72 Jensen Interceptor which was originally supplied with a Chevy V8 and I've seen how easy it is to get parts and info.

[wbain5280]

Lets not forget this post, at the top of the Vintage page:

108 Converters - Please Read!