How Wide Is A W108 Radiator And Oil Cooler Combination?

[Squiggle Dog]

Originally Posted by Rook

Here are the measurements I got off my 1969 280S today. The oil cooler is on the lefthand driver’s side.

Width of opening overall: about 27 1/2 inches
Width radiator alone: about 23 inches
Width of oil cooler alone: about 3 1/4 inches

The inch or so discrepancy between the combined width of the two components and the width of the opening is the thick rubber on the sides (visible in the first photo below).

Height of radiator is about 19-20 inches

The radiator (including cap) is about 2 inches higher than the oil cooler. The oil cooler is tucked in where the hood slopes down from the tall grille.

Hope this helps; it looks like a very interesting project!

Wow, thank you! That is very helpful. It seems that the radiator alone would fit in a W111, but not with the oil cooler. The radiator opening in a W108 is the same as a W116 then; 27 inches--unless early or certain model W108s had narrower openings?

I'm thinking more and more that a W110 (except 230) radiator with a thicker core installed, and with a W108 oil cooler attached should work--I think some W108 oil coolers have a raised area on the side and use a rubber buffer plus two rubber O-rings, while some just use a rubber sheet and three screws? The type that uses a rubber sheet and screws is what I'd want.

[Squiggle Dog]

I got a radiator from a 1965 W110 190D (19" wide) and an oil cooler with a W116 part number (116 180 16 65) which is about 4" wide. They will fit just about perfectly in the 23 1/4" wide radiator opening of a W111, but I'll have to do some cut and pasting to make the oil cooler bolt up to the radiator and will have to cut off the raised area on the side of the oil cooler and weld on a piece of square metal with threaded holes in its place so it will bolt up to the body.


I feel the size of the oil cooler will be adequate as it's the same size as the ones the W123 and W126 turbo diesels have, but the radiator is on the small side (only 19" wide instead of 23" for the W123 and W126). I am hoping that having the radiator recored with a thicker and more efficient core will make up for the 4" that are lost due to the oil cooler.

It should look stock when done. I wonder if a W115 220D's radiator and oil cooler would fit in a 23" wide radiator opening, but I haven't gotten any answers yet to how wide the radiator opening is in one.

[Squiggle Dog]

Maybe I'll just have a radiator custom-made and then use an original W116 oil cooler (with the side modified with threaded holes so it bolts up to the body). I'm not confident a thicker core could be added to a W110 radiator, and then there would need to be so many modifications done just to get it to bolt up to the oil cooler. I can just imagine the radiator shop being grouchy and cynical about it.

Wizard Cooling sells a radiator for a W113 which is nearly identical to what I need. https://wizardcooling.com/1967-1971-mercedes-280sl-aluminum-radiator/




I'd want one built just like it, only with the following changes:

1. 19" wide instead of 23" wide.
2. Three threaded holes on the right side instead of two.
3. The core made as thick as possible to compensate for losing four inches of width due to adding an oil cooler and the radiator opening being 4" narrower than later cars.

Then I'll use the brass firewall-mounted coolant expansion tank. I'll have to have a custom fan shroud made, too.

[Squiggle Dog]

It turns out the radiator, oil cooler, and fan shroud I need already exist! I have a theory that a W111 280SE coupe/cabriolet radiator, oil cooler, and fan shroud will fit in a W111 sedan. I know you guys all own one of these. Can someone tell me how wide the radiator opening in the body is for a W111 280SE coupe/cabriolet? The sedans are 23 1/4" wide. It appears to me that the coupes and cabriolets (excluding low grille) are the same width as the sedans. It appears the radiator attaches to the body with three screws and a rubber pad in between, while the oil cooler attaches to the body with two screws and a pad in between.



When I looked up the parts on EPC, I get:

Radiator 111 501 00 01

Oil cooler 108 180 02 65

Fan shroud 111 505 01 55

Does this seem correct for a high grille W111 coupe/cabriolet 280SE? Let's use VIN number WDB11102512000330, for example. It's also worth mentioning that the 220 and 250 did not have engine oil coolers mounted next to the radiator, but the 300SE W112 may have. A low grille version would have a wider radiator opening, like a W108, which is 27" wide. I'm also going to be using one of those air cleaners to connect to the turbocharger and so it sucks in cold air from behind the grille.