Drop an 8-cylinder engine into a 6-cyl 300 SE

that thing, which would be the same engine as what, the 560

Thanks, I guess, but I was think more along the lines of "will the motor mounts line up," that kind of thing.

The only way to do it is to have a COMPLETE 420 or 560 car. You will need engine, trans, harness, computers, exhaust, springs, speedometer, rear, etc. Bill Ditmire Ditmire Motorworks,Inc.

Sure. Get a Northern car that's rusted out and sold cheap but with a good engine and driveline. Swap stuff over. Done.

The 5 litre euro spec motor is pretty damn nice.

Same motor mounts. A bunch of the electronics is different so you'll need the donor car to rape for parts.

Driveline components may be diferent too - transmision, driveshaft etc.

Front springs are different.

Motor mounts are the least of your worries :-)

Your car "had" 177 hp new so it should be enough to propel you at a decent rate. I think you should try a other things first and see if tuning gives you enough power. Things like an airfilter, spark plugs, plug wires, etc. If you still want more hp try a low boost supercharger to give you some more. I dont think replacing the engine should be your first try at some more power as it is more work than just a quick swap and will probably cost more in time and money than the cars worth.

-Adam

Along these lines of mods vs engine swap, I think it is as much the transmission profile as it is the engine. Note that your car likely starts in 2nd gear. Try starting from a stop with gear selector in "2" position. On my 300se, this temporarily starts the car off in 1st gear. It makes a big difference and gives you an idea what the motor can do.

I also find dropping to 3rd for quicker highway passing works well.

I just got a 300se - it is big, heavy, sedate, and definately not as quick as my 300e. I just put new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor on, and that indeed helped a bit (looked like original parts were still on!).

Scott D

I have a 1984 280SE (Euro spec). When I bought it, I was giving serious thought to engine swaps - then I found out that the engine was knackered. My local MB guru sourced a good second hand 280 engine and performance was in a different league - if still only pleasantly adequate. Hills that I had to change down on I can now accelerate up in top. It even kicks down more happily.

I would suggest that with this size of car, minor difficiencies could make a big difference. Have you driven a 300SE that you know to be in good condition? If not, you should try to before major surgery.

Bob Canberra Australia

It's been done... :-)