tbomachines' engine swap thread

[tbomachines]

Good day gentlemen and the few but lovely ladies on this forum, I am starting this thread to chronicle my engine swap. I know the engine removal has been done a number of times, but I hope that I can provide some pictures to help those in the future as to my process/mistakes/method. There are going to be a LOT of pictures in this thread (good ones, I hope) so be warned, it may take up quite a bit of bandwidth. Any questions/comments will be much appreciated!

I am beginning the engine swap on my 300SDs. The white one is rust free and in good shape, but has no engine or trans. The brown one runs really well, but has pretty much rusted to oblivion, so I'm putting the two together and hopefully I'll have one awesome car at the end of it. I will continue to update this thread as I do more and more work to complete the swap--I've taken off most of the week from work to complete the job, hopefully not too many snags along the way!

Today was the first day, mainly just prepping the cars for the swap. I assembled the engine lift and load leveler, then powerwashed the white car's engine bay. I literally got a scrub brush out and scrubbed many of the surfaces clean since the pressure washer couldn't eat through all the grime.



Clean(er) engine bay...I'll probably try and get it even cleaner tomorrow:




This interior is also going to be a challenge, missing quite a few parts and have extras of others:




And the engine I will be swapping in:




More updates to come tomorrow, but I have a family obligation during part of the day so not sure how much more I can get done.

[tbomachines]

I moved the cars into position today and began tearing into the brown one. Right now I'm taking a little break for lunch and to rest my back. So far, I've removed the following:

- air intake
- radiator, oil cooler
- aux fan and horns
- power steering lines
- Viscous cooling fan
- Lots of coolant hoses and vacuum lines

I've been taking pictures too, mainly for reference when I have to put it all back together





This fitting will NOT come loose, I am actually bending the condenser by trying to get it off. Plan B is to remove the compressor and the lines off of it, which looks more and more like it will be what I have to do.

[4thesporty]

Now would be a great time to re-seal that steering box.

I just say this because the last time I was under mine I noticed how badly it is leaking and how hard it seems it will be to do.

[tbomachines]

The condenser's low pressure connection was too much and I ended up ruining the connection to the condenser body itself...not happy about that. Anyway, after a day's worth of work, the engine is 100% ready to come out of the car--which is on the agenda for tomorrow morning. More pictures, of course.

Ready to come out:



I am NOT getting under this thing on stands. No WAY. This is what came out after I pulled away the jackstands. MB fans be warned, this is some graphic rust.



Jack point, from underneath the car:





Maybe I am going crazy, just a little. Its been a hard day's work but damn, this is my kind of vacation!



Ever-growing parts pile:

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by 4thesporty

Now would be a great time to re-seal that steering box.

I just say this because the last time I was under mine I noticed how badly it is leaking and how hard it seems it will be to do.

Luckily, the PO left me the power steering box in the recipient car, so hopefully it won't leak. Guess it will be nice to have a spare anyways just in case. I'll be replacing the PS pump-to-box lines as well as a full flush.

[jt20]

nothin like a good swap thread.

nice shifter surround, by the way.


One regret I have, is not doing the hood pad while the engine is out.... what a cursed mess!

[snookwhaler]

Originally Posted by jt20

One regret I have, is not doing the hood pad while the engine is out.... what a cursed mess!

That is a great idea!! That crap gets everywhere!

Good pics! Thanks for posting all of this.... If you were close, I would help you. I love doing that kind of stuff.

[charmalu]

That looks like a fun project. been there a few time, just happy Iam not doing it now.
This is a good time to spit shine every thing up while it is apart

If you cut the crank off the engine tilter, and weld on one of those long nuts, it makes it easier to turn to tilt the engine when all the weight is on it.

then use your impact wrench or ratchet. the ratchet will give you more leverage. I used a 13/16 nut, largest they had.

Charlie

[tbomachines]

Here it is, the heart of the beast! I had one motor mount bolt completely stuck and stripped . The solution? Just lifted the engine out anyways and ripped the darn thing in half , worked like a charm! I wish I hadn't spent about 3 hours trying to get it out. I also cut the radiator support bar to help get the old engine out, 5 min worth of work with the cutoff wheel saved a lot of aggravation with the engine lift/angle. Putting the engine in is going to be tough around the radiator support, hopefully jackstands or ramps in back will help with the angle. Anyways, here are the pictures!








Tomorrow I will probably spend most of the day cleaning this thing, it needs it really bad. I am keeping my fingers crossed for some dramatic before and after pictures. Thanks for the feedback and support and have a great night!!

[Fulcrum525]

That darn radiator support bar always gets in the way when pulling an engine doesn't it? Gotta love sawzalls

[pawoSD]

On year ago today I pulled my engine/trans to swap the trans. 21k later it is still running fine. Thankfully.

[sixto]

Now is a good time to check the rubber in the transmission cooler line clamps.

Sixto
87 300D

[snookwhaler]

You have got about 1 foot of slack in those chains. Take that slack out and it will probably go right in.

You need to get the top of the "cherry picker" closer to the top of the engine.

[Paulc66t]

Hopefully you are going to replace any leaking gaskets etc. while it is out and you have access. I would take care of the oil filter housing gasket at a minimum.

[winmutt]

When you get ready to hook up the vac, take all that crap off the valve cover.

Pic from my swap :