Engine Transplant Recommendation

#21

You are probably right. After crawling under the car and getting a good look
at the cross member and steering linkage, I lost optimism that this could
work.

Thanks to every one for their the input.

"John Horner" <jthorner (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

Scott Buchanan wrote:
I bought my first non-GM car in more than twenty years yesterday. It is
a
1985 Mercedes 230 CE which is a gray market car here in the US. The body
and
interior are in very nice shape but the engine is shot due to a timing
chain
problem that bent valves and probably damaged the pistons.

Instead of the expense of rebuilding this engine, I am thinking of
putting
in a
GM V-6.

Conversions, especially ones where there isn't prior development work
already done for you, can be very costly and problematic. I don't know
what the weight of the original engine is, but you would want to make
sure that any replacement isn't significantly heavier or the handling
and braking can be severely compromised.

If you really must do this, by all means I would stay away from the
2.9/3.1/3.4l family of engines. I don't know if they were ever made for
rear wheel drive or not, so it might be a moot point. Packaging
efficiency is very good, but problems like leaking intake manifold
gaskets and other make for a less than ultra-long-life design.

The 3800 from a later model Camaro or Firebird donor would be the first
thing I would look at if I just had to make the conversion. Other
possibilities might be the V-6 Mustang motor and transmission from 1990s
vintage stangs. Lots of fabrication and making do would be involved in
such a swap.

Lots of folks have done GM swaps into Volvos, Jaguars and Jeeps, but I
haven't seen much written about doing so into an MB product.

Personally I would tear down the original MB motor and make it right.
The cost and headache will probably be lower in the end than using low
cost GM parts as the basis for a swap.

John

#22

V-6 Firebirds had the 3800 in them all through the 90's. It was a
front-wheel-drive block configuration (that's all GM produced), and they had
a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed tranny that were configured to fit it as a
rear driver.

"Scott Buchanan" <t120rv (AT) pacifier (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

Thanks for the responses. I read up on the Vortec. It looks like a good
engine but I think that it may be too much power for this application. I
don't want to break anything. Did they use the 3800 in any rear wheel
drive
car?

"Scott Buchanan" <t120rv (AT) pacifier (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:130ftodpvgr70ac (AT) corp (DOT) supernews.com...
I bought my first non-GM car in more than twenty years yesterday. It is a
1985 Mercedes 230 CE which is a gray market car here in the US. The body
and
interior are in very nice shape but the engine is shot due to a timing
chain
problem that bent valves and probably damaged the pistons.

Instead of the expense of rebuilding this engine, I am thinking of
putting
in a
GM V-6.

It looks like that there is plenty of room to it mount in place of the
original straight four.

What engine, transmission combination from what vehicle would you
recommend?
Keep in mind that this is a rear wheel drive car. I'll be looking at
auctions to find a wrecked car so that I can get all the electronics too.

Thanks,
Scott

#23

Joe wrote:

Quote:

V-6 Firebirds had the 3800 in them all through the 90's. It was a
front-wheel-drive block configuration (that's all GM produced), and they had
a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed tranny that were configured to fit it as a
rear driver.

GM made both FWD and RWD 3800 blocks, just like they did with the 2800.

LOT's of variations out there of both. I can think of 5 variants of the
3800 block in just RWD alone, not including the earlier 225 it was based on.

--
Steve W.

#24

"Steve W." <yahoo (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

Joe wrote:
V-6 Firebirds had the 3800 in them all through the 90's. It was a
front-wheel-drive block configuration (that's all GM produced), and they
had a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed tranny that were configured to fit
it as a rear driver.

GM made both FWD and RWD 3800 blocks, just like they did with the 2800.
LOT's of variations out there of both. I can think of 5 variants of the
3800 block in just RWD alone, not including the earlier 225 it was based
on.

No, they didn't in the 90's. Not at all. But I think the OP has already
lost interest. I had assumed he'd want something fairly late-model, since
he used the term "3800".

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Engine Transplant Recommendation

Pontiac Discussion of Pontiac Automobiles (alt.autos.pontiac)

Re: Engine Transplant Recommendation - 03-28-2007 , 12:14 PM

Re: Engine Transplant Recommendation - 03-28-2007 , 07:32 PM

Re: Engine Transplant Recommendation - 03-28-2007 , 07:55 PM

Re: Engine Transplant Recommendation - 03-28-2007 , 08:08 PM