The Mercedes From Hell, or, A Step-By-Step Primer On How To Construct A Fordcedes.

I've done some bizarro engine/drivetrain transplants in the past, (don't believe me?  Look here...) but this one is gonna take the cake.

03/01/03

Enter the "donor".  A really nice, low-mile (59K) '93 Taurus SHO who's driver (pilot, possibly?) conducted a seriously failed experiment exploring the combination of high speed, tire adhesion, and gravitational forces (or lack therof). 

Aforementioned Failed Experiment resulted in major body panel alignment and contour woes, front bumper completely missing, rear pushed in/torn loose, four wheels pointing in four different directions, permanently "open" windows, and only two of four doors still opening.  This poor thing is bent EVERYWHERE.  If this was "Dad's car".....I'll bet "Dad" was NOT a "Happy Camper".

But it still runs like a watch.  Whatta' cool motor.....Yamaha-designed/built, DOHC, 24V, electronic MPFI so it's tame as hell, and 220 HP.

And it looks neat. 

Now.....the "patient".  A customer's (really nicely) restored Euro-spec/"grey market" '76 280SL with a stick.  Unfortunately, it has a very tired, very sick engine.....lobes worn off both cams, smokes (compression and "leakdown" numbers would scare you), and, to put it in technical terms, generally runs like *shit*.

This should deeply trouble, offend, and generally piss off Mercedes-Benz purists.......

A freakin' SL.  I'm gonna' cut up an SL.  The horror of it all......

3/29/03

I haven't started cutting (yet...)......but I've certainly got it scattered all over.   Engine's out of both "donor" and "patient", aforementioned Taurus has been stripped of usable/needed parts and discarded, and I've began mocking up the (reversed) intake and the necessary parts to adapt the SHO motor to a Borg-Warner T5 transmission from a Mustang.   

This pic   of the engine bay shows the crossmember and steering linkage that is gonna' make my life difficult...

10/11/04  Been doing normal stuff for a while.....but it sorta' sets in there....  With the scratch-built (aluminum) oil pan, some serious crossmember and firewall surgery, and a lot of head-scratching the shifter of the BW T-5 actually will come up in the hole where the MB one did.  Now.......I gotta build a set of headers.

I had to machine up spacers (.125 thick) to make the entire "bag-o-snakes" intake set (turned 180 degrees) with the throttle body forward.  Without the spacers, the front of the intake and the timing belt wanted to live in the same location.  Believe it or not....the hood will still fit.  

This ain't gonna' happen overnight, Virgil.  Stay tuned.....

This is sick and wrong.  Get me outta' here!