R107 chassis sl would you

[horgantrevor]

Hi guys I have been offered a SL r107 chassis year 1988

Lovely car but has has the 420 v8 in her not a quick engine but here is my thought how hard would it be too fit c43 v8 into her I have all parts to go it it would be a project car

Am I mad I have 4 years till vintage to finish it

 

[219]

Mechanically , it would probably not be that hard to fit another engine , but the electronics would likely be a nightmare to mate to the older car .

Dropping in a 500 M117 engine to make it a 500SL would probably be your best bet if you want a bit more go .

Bear in mind that the 107 chassis is akin to the W123 and W116 chassis , developed from the W114/5 chassis in the late 1960's and made for the US market so the handling tends to be somewhat floaty and wobbly - adding a more powerful engine without doing serious brakes and suspension work as well would be a recipe for disaster .

If you just want a nice , useable SL , the R129 which is based on the W124 platform and handles much more sharply , plus can be bought with the M119 quad cam V8 offering g 300 bhp upwards as standard , can now be had for very reasonable money .

The 129 has a push button soft top , while the 107 one has to be raised or lowered manually .

If you do get a 107 - it has to be red .

 

[John Jones Jr]

How do Trevor?

Leave as standard is my view. Or as suggested drop in a 500 motor. Personally, I'd spend my time & money on getting the car to an excellent rather than doing any engine swaps.

 

[SL420-1989]

I have a 1989 420 SL with an absolute creamy V8. Personally I think it would greatly devalue the car completely to change the engine and potentially cause all manner of stresses and strains. These cars are not built to perform like GT hot hatches. At the very most you could increase the power of the original 420 SL. I know it's a personal thing but you have been offered such a beautiful and rare care I just feel it would be a shame to drastically change it and that includes putting in a 500 motor for a few BHP more. Good luck with it all the same.