1972 450slc I need help

[rsar888]

just recently bought a 1972 450slc from a friend who inherited it from her father. got it for about $3500. i am already starting to have it restored. but now i find that the chassis no. is 107023-12-003712 and the engine no. is 116982-12-009226. All information seems to be saying that this is not a 450 but a 350slc. I inquired about this with the former owner and her father said that it's a 107 body with a 350 slc engine but on a 450 slc body. and continued to say that it was really manufactured that way similar to a 190e which really uses a 230 engine. Is he talking bull? Anyway, this car has serious water problems. I want to purchase a complete set of rubber seals but am worried that i might purchase a wrong one. Needless to say that I am really new to restoration but am really in love with the SL's and SLC's. Pls advice. Are the 350 slc's and 450 slc's parts interchangeable? i read somewhere that there was an importation problem which brought about the change in engines in the 450slc's. Is there even a 1972 450slc? I am having a hard time getting information on a '72 model.

[TSL]

Hi,
You do have a 3.5 L, your engine code is 116. This is a grey market car, because they did not import the SLC here with 3.5L, they imported the 450(4.5L) here in 72. But you happened to get the best out of them all. The 350 is a balance and blueprinted, 4 bolt main block, with coated and polished intake runner. It is 200 HP with 214 TQ, if I remember correctly. That is almost 1 HP per CID, excellent in those days. I have just about finished refurbishing this one. Seems it is the very 1st Zender production car. There is very little info on these first models. 450s did not really start coming over until 73. Your engine is the best, has double roller timming chain, whereas the 450 did not. All the seals will run about 800.00, solved all my running issues. Spitting moisture and smoke, it was all in the computer control(what computers in those days) yes, fuel management, under pass side dash. Has to be set right, and your timming setting is different than 450 too, set it at 11 or 12 degrees. Don't spend the money on the CD for these cars, not worth the money. Get rid of the points and put in a Perktronics (think that how you spell it), works great, easy to put in. Ck your coil, run factory plugs, gap them at 28. Engine is Euro 350, a real performance engine, settings different than 450. Mine has never failed to start, I get 17MPGs in town and 20 Hwy. Not great.
I have replaced all seals, front and rear windshields, complete under carriage overhaul. top end engine overhaul, uses very little oil. Replaced the sunroof and many other parts, lots of money, close to 12 grand now. All that is left is interior, paint, and rear axle. Air actually works good or kinda, considering Mercedes air systems at that time. Sadly I do not get to drive it much at all now days. Looked at putting it up for sale several times, just want it to go to the right person. The 72 are rare, first year for them actually. Mine needs to keep inside. If you have overheating problems, mine did not run as cool as I wanted it too, so I took out the factory fan system and replaced with 2 electric fans putting out a total of 4600 cfm, only had to use it twice, mine cools better without factory system. I have driven mine with air running over 900 miles in one day, hauling ass. With the 3:36 rear gear, cruising on the hwy you are running up the RPMs. Remember these were made for Europe, not US. I assume you have a 4 speed auto. The person is wrong on the mfg of this car, does not have a 220 nor with it based on the 124 frame.
If you need anymore info just let me know. Parts are interchangable between the 350 and 450, except for the engine. Bodys are the same, that is all.

Best,
Tim

[Tomguy]

All body parts are interchangeable with a 450's, same chassis. Only some engine parts are not interchangeable:

Block, pistons, heads, cams, injectors, throttle body, DJet computer, and the intake manifold for your car are all different. The timing chain is a little shorter. The rails are also shorter. Other than that, a lot of engine stuff is also interchangeable. The 4.5 does have a double-row chain contrary to what Tim says. A 4.5 ECU will work on your car, I've tried a 3.5 ECU on my 4.5, and it runs exactly the same to me, except less full-throttle oomph. A 4.5 ECU might boost a 3.5's power?

As to which engine is better, it's all personal preference I suppose. I would rather have a 4.5 with 8.8:1 heads or, better yet (like mine does), 3.5 heads (~9.2:1) and cams (you can put 3.5 heads and cams on a 4.5 and get more performance, but vice-versa would turn a 3.5 into a dog). The 4.5 has more torque and around the same power.

The petronix or crane ignitions will give you better spark and possibly better efficiency. It's a lot less of a hassle than the points are.

If you want, what you can do is grab a 4.5's rearend - 3.27:1 IIRC. It'll lower your highway RPMs a bit.

[cth350]

The difference between the 3.5 & 4.5 ECU is in the throttle wiring. Keep the ECU matched to the wire harness & throttle sensor. -CTH

[rsar888]

you mean this is a 350 slc that is worth restoring? is this collectible as you guys said that it is the first run of the series? question is... did mb ever release a 450slc with a 350slc engine?
thanks for the replies and i'm sure this will really help. I will call my mechanic first thing. He already started with the restoration of the engine. BTW, this only has 42,250miles on it. The previous owner had a bit of a problem with the moon roof and had the thing welded and painted over. This led to leaks that damaged the center console and carpetting also the dash board.
If this is a collectable unit, i will have the moon roof restored but if not...
Next thing is my friend told me that he finds it weird for the car to have european type (without the 2 rounded type of lights) and yet have the extended type of bumpers. Was this car tampered/modified? Have more questions as the restoration goes on. Hope you guys have a bit of patience with me as i said this is my first mercedes.
I want to post some pics but don't know how.

[Tomguy]

The car is probably actually a 350SLC, rebadged as a 450SLC. Either that, or someone replaced the 4.5L at some point with the 3.5L, which is less likely. It's worthwhile if it's relatively rust-free. If it has rust, especially holes, you might want to rethink restoration. It will always be worth it to YOU, you'll love the vehicle - but economically, it might not make much sense, because if you throw in another $5000, you may never recover that in the value of the car.

I'm not an expert on 107-chassis MBs, but the car is probably "stock" euro-delivery and therefore considered "grey-market" in the US. It was imported without being fully converted. They MAY have had to change the bumpers and speedometer at some point, otherwise, the rest is probably original. But it would be odd for them to have to change the bumpers and not the headlights. Do you know the history of this car like when was it imported?

[John McGrath]

Are you interested in an excellant 450 SEL Motor, I have one.

[John McGrath]

Originally Posted by John McGrath

Are you interested in an excellant 450 SEL Motor, I have one.

Does Anyone make a cat replacement pipe.