115 4 speed in 114 coupe????

[DieselBone]

I've been thinking of adding the 4 speed from a 69 220D in my 280C (M110) would this bolt up since the 115/114 are similar??? I understand I need to find a stick flywheel and what not, but would the pedals and bellhousing bolt on??? Thanks!

[alabbasi]

There is a motor review from way back in the day that reviewed a W114 280E with a 5 speed. You may want to exploit that option. Those engines also went in a W123 and a W126 so it could be that easy.

[DieselBone]

It might be hard to find a 5 speed......

[alabbasi]

I am not sure if these transmissions are interchangable (many transmissions are). In Europe there are many Mercedes Benz with 5 speed manuals. 230E, 280E's and ofcourse the 190E's. It maybe worth while figuring out which models will fit and then going to www.ebay.de. I bet you can get a great deal on a used gearbox.

This is one example i found in a london classified ad:

Mercedes 123
2.8L engine, automatic and manual gearboxes, spares and repairs.

Contact details: 020-8450 1528 / 07973 281891 NW2

If you want to call, make sure you add a 01144 and remove the first 0 and also note that the UK is five hours ahead of the east coast .

[nachi11744]

Hello,
The M110 engine in W114/123/126/107 280 cars have a strenghtened 4 AND 5 speed box. The 220D unit will work, but probably will expire at 160,000kms instead of 1.6 million
Up to the M103 190bhp 3 litre engine, the M110 was the most powerful engine fitted with a manual trans by MB, the troublesome M116 4 speed was uncommon and MB themselves were reluctant to supply 350SE/SL/SLCs with this unit.
Have a good week

[alabbasi]

I noticed a pretty 350SE with a 4 speed and there are a few out there lurking on ebay.de but has anyone tried to mate a 5 speed to one of these. I have 4 cars and they are all Auto, I am really starting to miss shifting gears.

[nachi11744]

Hello,
If you look thru the net, you will find that almost all MBs with 200bhp or more are autos, and there seems to be sound reasoning behind that as manual trans BMWs that I am familiar with that have 200bhp+ have had gearbox headaches at relatively low miles.
Have a good week

[DieselBone]

I would be happy with the 4 speed. If it was my daily driver, I might want a 5 speed. With antique plates, I'm not really worried about it. I'll have to see if that 220D might be some use to me.

[cth350]

most states don't allow a gas car to be converted to diesel. Other than that, you can interchange all the 4, 5 & 6 cylinder motors and transmissions, with a few "details".

- Drive shaft length is different in just about every combination.
- Clutch pedal & master cylinder are unique to the body style. Though I wonder if the W116 & W114 pedals are interchangable.
- Shift rods for the manual transmissions differ by size of engine (4 vs 6).
- There are three styles of clutch & slave cylinder from early 60s - 70s, keep those parts together.
- The drive shaft coupler to the transmission changed at or about 1968. The 280SL & 280S cars kept the old style. The W114/W115 cars got the new one.
- The M189 motor has its own unique bellhousing breaking the rule about interchanging the transmissions & engines.
- If you want to interchange the automatics for the 60's cars, get the relevant TDM pages for the parts you've got (or want to get) and match up the valve body and governor information. For the 70's cars, follow the engine size and choice of fuel delivery.

someplace up on www.mbz.org, you'll find a spread sheet of part numbers I typed in one day having nothing better to do than research the details on interchanging the V8 transmissions.

-CTH
PS. And yes, I typed that all in from memory.

[DieselBone]

I was planning on keeping the M110 in the 280C, and try to retro fit the 4 speed out of a `69 220D in the 280C. I wonder if a 123 pedal assy. would fit better, or I need to find a junk 114 with a stick shift already, I would love to see a 4 speed stick on my 280C, and then maybe adding FI....WOW!

[alabbasi]

Hmm, I am thinking you may want to look to Europe for a 280CE. I am considering bringing my 250CE from England. I priced the shipping and its about $600 to ship from south hampton to savannah, GA.

[DieselBone]

Good idea, But I was thinking of adding holley's pro-jection to my motor, I think the 400 CFM TBI would work very well once tuned. This of course wouldn't be as good as muti-port, but anything would be better than a solex!

[ctaylor738]

Regarding your trans swap. I am concerned that the bellhousing off your 220 won't fit on the back of your M110. I know it will work on a M130, but I'm not sure about the later engines.

[DieselBone]

Originally Posted by ctaylor738

Regarding your trans swap. I am concerned that the bellhousing off your 220 won't fit on the back of your M110. I know it will work on a M130, but I'm not sure about the later engines.

I'm not questioning you, but it seems like any tranny will "bolt" up to any MB motor pre 1985??? I have seen a lot of trannys, all the bell housings look about the same, but there is only only way to find out!!!!

I am worried about finding the clutch parts for a M110, doe anyone have any sources???

[ctaylor738]

I converted a 1979 280E, and I had no trouble getting new hydraulics, hoses, disk, pressure plate, and TO bearing. So maybe your best bet is to try to order parts for a '73 euro 280 114 with a manual trans.

My concern about the transmission comes from the fact that they changed the automatic in the 114's when they went to the M110 in 1973 and the engine plate and bellhousing may have also changed at that time.

I am very interested in your expenence - I want to convert my 280C to a manual trans as well.