What do you mean by LS swap it?

- Peter.

GMs LS series engines.

GM, LS "lots of speed" :D

Why the **** would someone wreck a Mercedes Benz with a GM engine?

- Peter.

Jaguar aficionados are not impressed with such motors in old Jags either. I can understand it though. It can be incredibly expensive to get one of those older motors back in fine fettle. The Chevy engines are relatively easy to swap in, so I'm told, have not done it, and give good bang for the buck.

Because an LS is a lot less finicky than an old M116 and it’s K jet fuel injection system and timing chain woes.

But an LS swap is far to much work now that I’ve looked into it. A simple 5.3 swap would be all I would do. Nothing crazy. Just a stock LS and nothing more. But it involves some cutting and possibly a subframe swap so I’m forgoing that.


My plan of action now is to just dump the K Jet and rotary distributor based ignition and do. Megasquirt conversion with wasted spark ignition. I’ve already got the existing FI system off the car in an unknown state.

Good luck!

I dunno, ask the Don :)

Well it's your car to do with as you wish of course. For myself it's pointless. Having a Mercedes with it's motor swapped for a chevy. You might as well save a lot of money and buy a chevy to start with. In my way of thinking the car simply ceases to be a Mercedes at that point. Seems to me theres' plenty of resources on line and parts availablility to get any Mercedes engine running fine if you really want to. What exactly was wrong with this one?

- Peter.

Yeah. I know they aren't. But Jag's were crap out the starting gate. So while I frown upon the practice the real problem there is being a Jag nut to start with, like my brother. But as far as Mercedes are concerend, they never were junk and they shouldn't be treated as such or what's the point bothering with them.

- Peter.

I googled "380SL performance mods" and received google's version of a horselaugh...

Did MB ever couple the V8 with a manual transmission in the R107?

Found a firm that offers manual trans conversion for R107:

https://www.theslshop.com/parts-shop/mercedes-benz-sl-107-116-126-v8-automatic-to-six-speed-manual-gearbox.html

$14k US, which seems quite affordable...

Affordable? Matter of opinion. I guess 14K to downgrade and SL to 19th century technology might be affordable to some. For myself if I want a hotrod I'd spend 14k on a purpose designed one.

- Peter.

Hot Rodding
 

Peter ;

Some folks don't care how it came, others simply want to be able to drive the vehicle *much* faster cheaply or want the imagined bragging rights of the Corvette's LS1 fancy V8 engine...

They're cheap to boot .

I see junked Corvettes in Pick-A-Part yards where the entire engine with accessories is $500....

I'd never do it either but some find it quick, simple and affordable .

Yes, the 107's came with manual gearboxes in Europe, my 1075 350SLC had one and it was quite the slick unit ~ shifted *perfectly* every time .

Of course a 5 speed would have been better but the 107's were designed long ago...

I have an LS 5.3 that I’m considering putting in my 78 300d. Reliable and smooth power.

Why not keep it real and swap in a 5.9 Cummins?