Another challenge in a swap like this is the driveshaft.

While reading some other engine swaps into Mercedes I found a vendor "jagsthatrun.com" that sells an adapter plate to covert the MB diff to a 1310 u-joint. $95 delivered to Hawaii in 3 days!



I just pulled the driveshaft loose from the diff and this piece fits perfect.

There are also slip yokes that adapt the 4L80e trans I have to a 1310 u-joint.

As soon as I finish deciding the final location of the engine assembly, and receive the slip yoke, I can measure and order the driveshaft.

A 1310, from what I read, is good for 400 lbs or so of torque. I think the torque limit depends on tire traction, suspension, and transmission shifting.

Since I'm not going for all out racing, wide sticky tires, and banging gears, the 1310 should be ok for my modest 450 est engine output.

Of course I don't know how much the stock diff can take, so not sure what my weak link might be.

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

As I mentioned yesterday, I need to move the engine back a bit to fit a larger radiator fan. I couldn't decide whether to move it 1 1/2" or 1 3/4", so I compromised, 1 5/8". I also dropped the engine about 3/8" from where I had it.

In what I hope is its final location, the center of the crank is 1 1/8" lower than what the stock crank was. My new oil pan sits 1/2" lower than the stock crossmember. I will be adding some lower steel to protect the oil pan.

The transmission oil pan is 1" lower than the lowest point on the floor pan.

It looks like the 2 1/2" exhaust piping will be 1 1/2" lower than the lowest point of the floor pan.

As I'm comfortable with how the front drive assembly and intake fit I have removed those until the end of the build.



In this location the shifter is in exactly the same location as what would have been stock.

The space between the the first and second cylinder back from the front is about centered on the front shock. So now most of the engine mass is rearward of the front axel.

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

After the move I notched the return of the frame rails a bit to clear the manifold/headers.



The other side is similar.

Spent the rest of the day working on the transmission tunnel. Pretty much finished the drivers side, made good progress on the passenger side. Easier as I need to copy the drivers side for balance.

With dropping the engine mounts a bit the engine is now a little closer to level, front to back. But still enough angle that the driveshaft u-bolts need to "work".

Hoping to have enough time tomorrow to finish the trans tunnel and then pull the engine and trans for rebuild.

Trans tunnel will still be the same height until just before the front of the seats, then run level for a bit to be able to cover the shift mechanism. Then taper back down around the rear of the front seats. The width however increased 1" on each side to allow room for the shifter linkage, cooler lines, and the overall larger transmission.

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

With dropping the engine 3/8" while moving reward 1 5/8" the stock brake booster and the LS engine coil packs still fit. Close, but makes it.

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"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

Last on the list of fitment items before I pull the engine and trans is the completion of the trans tunnel. The shifter needs a lot of room to swing beside the trans. So making the tunnel now allows me to dial it in as small and tight as possible.

Today I had a few hours and bent up the tunnel to just after the shifter. The balance can come after I pull the engine.



The top of the new tunnel is flush with the old at the front and although still going downhill toward the rear I'm about 2" higher at the end. Besides needing the tunnel to be this high for the shifter it will also allow me to incorporate a cup holder when I get to the interior side of things.

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

Gonna need one heck of a cup holder to withstand the acceleration you're going to have with this beast!

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

Hi CoasttoCoast. I have a couple of questions which will help me in my decision as to whether I should attempt an engine conversion in my Fintail or not.

(1) You had to redo the engine crossmember to get the engine to fit; how then does the MB V8 fit? Is the LS significantly taller than the MB V8?

(2) Is the distance from the crankshaft centerline to the oil pan flange significantly greater in the LS V8 versus the MB V8?

(3) How does the MB V8 fit with the OEM steering box, but it seems other V8s can't?

Thanks for your input and sharing your journey with us.

I can only hope! Thanks for commenting.

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"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

Thanks for following my build.

I wish I could answer your question, but I don't have any info on the MB V8.

I pulled out an inline six.

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

This afternoon I made the final marks for fitment of the crossmember. Then pulled the spark plugs, just to see if there would be any future conflicts to do a tune up. No issues and nothing needed except for the socket and a ratchet.

To make it easier for disassembly I went ahead and pulled the heads, then pulled the engine/trans.

Put it on a flat cart and split the trans from the engine.



Tomorrow I wil break it the rest of the way down and get over to the machine shop.

This assembly was sold to me as having 48,000 miles. The valves look really clean and the cylinder walls look good to, we will see what the machine shop says.

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"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

After I get the engine and trans off to their respective shops I can get back on the engine bay.

Soon the ugliness will be gone!



Tech tip: I use a typical office supply white-out pen to write on metal.

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

Hope everything is okay with you guys. From the news reports it appears you guys are getting pounded with storms.

__________________
“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

Thanks for asking!

So far missing us in Waikiki. It is pretty windy though.

But Waikiki is beautiful right now

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"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

Today I loaded up the block, heads, balancer, crank, pistons, and rods and dropped off at the machine shop.

Once everything is evaluated I can decide how I want to build this up.

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"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."

Now that the engine/trans is out I can finish the motor mounts, crossmember, and finish out the engine bay.

As I mentioned earlier, before I started any work on the car I put it on jack stands and made sure that the car was totally level all the way around. This gives me a basis to measure and compare from.

Even after the old engine and trans was removed and the new assembly installed and then removed, the car is still sitting level.



This is my starting point for tomorrow.

__________________
"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria."