merc 5.0l v8

Discuss general engine, turbo and supercharger conversions in this section

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kiefer316i
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Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:49 pm

basically iv got 3 5.0l v8s from my dads sl500 sat in my unit doing nothing, and as a probing thought not a serious one, but how hard would it be to fit one into an e30? is it possible or a stupidly hard to pull off conversion? if anyones got an inkling let me know, also these engines are actually up for sale, so if anyones got an interest pm me cheers.
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toby
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Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:59 pm

It's never easy but 'how difficult it is' depends on all the obvious factors of skill, tools, time, money, motivation and the foul wrongness of a incestuous marriage between these German cousins.
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kiefer316i
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Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:09 pm

toby wrote:It's never easy but 'how difficult it is' depends on all the obvious factors of skill, tools, time, money, motivation and the foul wrongness of a incestuous marriage between these German cousins.
well tools and time aint an issue, money is always an issue but could still pull it off, skill is abit of a hard one as iv never done a v8 conversion, but will have a bit of help from others. been looking at e30v8.com at the ford 5l swaps and to a degree they arent as complicated as i thought, but wouldnt be using a ford donk but the merc one so not sure just how different the setup would be, hence probing the thoughts out to others on here for general feedback on it
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toby
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Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:24 pm

You would need to say what age the engine is since the 'SL500' has been around for year with various different set ups and doesn't refer to a specific engine.
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kiefer316i
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Fri Apr 29, 2011 3:54 pm

yh thats why we have 3 of em lol il find out all the details and post em up can even put pics up now actually if thats any good?
kiefer316i
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Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:24 pm

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could only find a pic of this and thats it but will get all the details
rix313
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Sun May 01, 2011 12:17 pm

Im interested as to why you have 3 of them? :mad:
kiefer316i
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Sun May 01, 2011 12:41 pm

no.1, basically the original engine had some damage to it, cant clarify what damage tho as i was only a kid when he pulled it out, all i know is that he was quoted a grand something to have it rebuilt, which he declined.

no.2 was bought by my dad about 2 years ago when i started to bug him into getting the sl up and running again, unfortunatly for him he didnt realise until after the engine was bought that there was a fair few different versions of engines for the sl500, so wasted money,

no.3 was the right one for it just had a grand rebuild done it before we bought it, and he hasnt got round to fitting it in,

its the number 2 engine that i was thinking about having off him and putting to use rather then it sit there as its a bugger to sell, (not alot of people rebuilding sl's anymore) hence me putting the topic up about a v8 into a e30, the practical side of things i can do such as fabricating the mounts, making enough room in the bay to fit it, prop, drive shafts etc i can do, but which gearbox to use, wiring the engine to the car, and weight i wondered about, things along that line im going to have quite an issue with
jimmyspeed
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Sun May 01, 2011 5:06 pm

traction maybe another issue - but it would be one insane flying machine my old mans sl500 flys and the pickup is awesome !
kiefer316i
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Sun May 01, 2011 5:25 pm

yh my mates dads got an sl500 as well it so rapid its insane, but just to think that amount of power running in a lickle e30, if i could get around the issues would be nuts to drive, be a one off if anything.
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Tue May 03, 2011 9:33 am

What box would you use? Arent most autos?
kiefer316i
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Tue May 03, 2011 2:39 pm

thats was one point i was unsure on, which was the whole point of the topic about the conversion to get some info if there was any to be had, but obviousily looks like an idea that wont come to be think il just rip a v8 out of a poor bmw, 545i sports have a nice set up
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Tue May 03, 2011 3:02 pm

if you want a BMW V8 with manual gearbox, PM E21Jason on here, he is breaking a 540 manual with 6 speed box, I recall he wanted about £1k which is a good price with the manual box attached.

The merc will just be drama after drama
kiefer316i
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Tue May 03, 2011 3:07 pm

E30BeemerLad wrote:if you want a BMW V8 with manual gearbox, PM E21Jason on here, he is breaking a 540 manual with 6 speed box, I recall he wanted about £1k which is a good price with the manual box attached.

The merc will just be drama after drama
il bare that in mind when i get paid cheers
and naturally the merc would be a total nightmare but just the fact il be putting it to use seeing as i cant shift it
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Kos
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Tue May 03, 2011 3:15 pm

Its a waste of energy and time just thinking about it
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kiefer316i
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Tue May 03, 2011 3:18 pm

Kos wrote:Its a waste of energy and time just thinking about it
so i take it its to inpractical to succesfully pull off a conversion then?
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Tue May 03, 2011 4:12 pm

Waste or energy and time in the sense that you can get a tired and tested V8 swap such as a 540 engine and manual box in pretty easy now with such infor availible.

Shur, the merc would have been different and if done well would have been impressive but with being such a ba$tard child, you'd get just as much negative reactions from purists as you would compliments on a well done swap.


What power were the engines anyway?
M42 rightness above 6500rpm, nobody can hear you scream
kiefer316i
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Tue May 03, 2011 7:08 pm

Dave_M3 wrote:Waste or energy and time in the sense that you can get a tired and tested V8 swap such as a 540 engine and manual box in pretty easy now with such infor availible.

Shur, the merc would have been different and if done well would have been impressive but with being such a ba$tard child, you'd get just as much negative reactions from purists as you would compliments on a well done swap.


What power were the engines anyway?
im not to fussed with feedback on what other people would think about it, just wanted to put a spare v8 to use couldnt care less bout otheres negative thoughts, think there 306 hp motors, what power where the 540 v8s?
Dave_M3
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Tue May 03, 2011 10:38 pm

540 V8 is 286 but easily capable of over 300.

306 from a 5.6 would be pretty torquey though to be fair.
M42 rightness above 6500rpm, nobody can hear you scream
kiefer316i
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Wed May 04, 2011 11:16 am

may consider the 540 swap as iv come across one with manual box and all setup for quite a cheap bit of cash, dont think the blokes sure of the worth of what he's selling
kiefer316i
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Wed May 04, 2011 11:18 am

ah my mistake its an auto didnt read it properly lol
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Kos
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Wed May 04, 2011 11:48 am

It's a waste of time and effort because there are other proven options around

While I'm all for being different, the first problem is the manual box availability, or lack of it. It's neve been done so there is no real idea of the costs involved and cost will be something you must factor in

The donk from a stuttgart taxi is not the fist choice when you think 'cheap performance v8' and it's not a swop any bmw person will see any logic in.

You need to be realistic and this isn't

Bmw v8 m60 is the easiest option (if it can be called easy) and lots of information available to assist you along the way. And even with only 286bhp the torque and performance will scare you when it's in an e30
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Dave_M3
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Wed May 04, 2011 9:24 pm

kiefer316i wrote:ah my mistake its an auto didnt read it properly lol
Even with being auto, if it's very cheap it would be still worthwhile as you can get a manual box from an E34 530.

May also be able to use the brakes from the 540.
M42 rightness above 6500rpm, nobody can hear you scream
Phill172
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Thu May 05, 2011 8:50 am

Kos wrote:Bmw v8 m60 is the easiest option (if it can be called easy) and lots of information available to assist you along the way. And even with only 286bhp the torque and performance will scare you when it's in an e30
Couldnt agree more, iv put the M60B40 in mine (in this months pbmw) and its quick, mean you cant go quicker with 280bhp in a non kit car,

You can use a 530 V8 gearbox so if you find one of those you could pick up that auto set up just for the motor
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