Silver E55.

[Alex]

Thought I'd do a thread on my car. Most of it is done now and I can start documenting the progress. I set out to build a Mercedes that can go over 200mph on a runway. The project is still pretty much work in progress so whether I succeed remains to be seen but that was the goal anyway. I must add that I haven't had a clue of what I'm getting myself into, otherwise I would have never started, but all this is history now. Enough for the intro, let's go.

 

[Alex]

I started out with the engine. I had some history with both MSL and Weistec Engineering and decided to send the block to California to be built. Prior to Weistec taking the delivery, the block was going to get sleeved with Darton ductile iron modular sleeves by a man who designed them for Darton. I figured he would be the best person to machine the block and install the sleeves. Having never done this before, I pulled the engine out of the car, stripped it, packaged and shipped it to California on a pallet. It took about 6 months for the block to be ready for Weistec to take over the job and finish it. Mostly because of some backlog of work and machinist's health issues. The engine eventually reached Weistec, along with a set of billet steel conrods that I ordered at the same time from Crower, also in California. I kept the stroke and crankshaft the same however the cylinders were bored to 98mm which is 1mm more than the standard bore making it a 5,552cc capacity engine. This initially posed a bit of an issue for Weistec who believed they would be fitting a standard set of forged pistons. Nevertheless they came through and made a custom set of piston to fit the block:

During the final stages of the built I shipped a set of my heads over to Weistec to get CNC ported and polished:

 

[merc85]

Wow oh wow!!!

 

[Alex]

Here's the block before shipping back from Weistec:

and as it landed on my door step:

 

[Codger49]

Wow oh wow!!!

Most definitely.

This is going to be good!

 

[Alex]

With a build like this the last thing you want is to compromise so I decided to go for the best components possible and if they don't exist, to make them. With the engine back in my possession, the next thing on the list was a set of exhaust manifolds. I already knew that they have to be equal length from the exhaust port to collector and nothing like that was available in the market so I went to do my own set. I bought an inverter, some plastic modelling kit and spent further 6 month designing and fabricating. I've had some prior TIG welding knowledge but never welded stainless before. A few bottles of argon later I eventually made a set of equal lentght headers that fit the engine bay:

 

[Alex]

There was a lot of trying and fitting which saw me pull the engine out of the bay probably a hundred times.

The headers were welded with purging inside to ensure full penetration and strength of welds:

Final product:

 

[GAV105N]

Nice project mate , subscribed

 

[AMGeed]

This is going to be good.

 

[C36fan]

Is it running yet??

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Wowsers! Subscribing...

 

[Headhurts]

I don't understand any of this but will follow it with interest.

Just goes to show how little I understand cars these days.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[clk320x]

Oh god this is exciting. Subscribed

 

[Abb]

Simply WOW!

 

[SMed08]

Brilliant Alex, was waiting for this thread. I'm still utterly amazed with all the "unsexy" amount of work that I know has gone into this build, that no one will ever see.

But I also love all the sexy stuff you mentioned, and that which you haven't yet.

 

[Dogbreath]

Excellent thread Alex ! KeithG would still push you down the road and still get 100mpg from his deeeeesal

 

[clk320x]

Excellent thread Alex ! KeithG would still push you down the road and still get 100mpg from his deeeeesal

Deleted

 

[Dogbreath]

What have you deleted?

 

[clk320x]

What have you deleted?

Was something in reply to keithg but can't be ****d for him to turn up and argue lol

 

[carnut]

I think your thread title ,E55 doesn't do you credit.....should be EEEEEEEE55