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I've always hoped some other intrepid wrench-head would put an LS into a standard w202, and it looks like this guy is doing it. I've always thought the w202 chassis would make a great LS swap platform. I really hope this guy finishes this build and proves that its easy enough for me to do it. Maybe then I'd finally have a reason to import a worn out w202 wagon from europe so I could make a fire-breathing hot rod out of it.
This is my car. It's currently running but not driving due to a broken axle. The axle builder screwed me out of $800 and didn't stand behind his work. So now I'm almost completed with machining the hubs to fit the larger hub bearings from the camaro and then will be ordering a set of axles complete or just the bars for the axles from the drive shaft shop. I should have just gone this route in the first place but it is what it is.
I actually finished the car in early May and put about 500 miles on it before getting a little rowdy with a h/c pretty wicked gto and snapping the axle when I hit 3rd.
The swap fits nice and drives just great I just need to know that dropping another $800 for axle bars or $1300 for complete axles i won't have to worry about the hub shafts breaking. They were tiny on the Mercedes axles. May cost more but I'm just going to do it right and be done. I'm about finished with one side just waiting on new bushings and suspension bars to show up because my alignment was off this may help.
After it first got fitted
Driving again
Out for a drive
This is how it ended up
Ill just respace the lug pattern to match the Mercedes and use standard lug studs with nuts.
Pity that manual wouldn't work with the stock running gear, could've saved a ton of time and some money using the stock or even a C43 setup from the shaft back
Super cool project! I always wondered how one of those would fit in there. That sucks you got screwed on the axles. Must’ve been quite a ride when it broke in third. Definitely post some videos when you can!
Breaking the axle wasn't bad. Prolly only going 65 when I grabbed 3rd. I can't post a video it won't let me from the phone.
I didn't need to change the differential but wanted to gain the limited slip and different stronger gears than the 2.87 ratio open diff and small axles.
I literally used the stock camaro shaft, the stock Mercedes trans cross member, and mounted the engine using the factory bolt holes from the benz m104. Took the oem ecu out of the benz and tied the wiring into the ignition switch wires so all the Mercedes features work and the key switch just controls the engine ecu too. It was really simple and only required key on 12 volt constant and then the fuel pump relay wire to tie into the Mercedes pump and then I used the oem Mercedes radiator and fans. Used the Mercedes clutch pedal and master cylinder. The cross between the Mercedes parts and the camaro need was crazy nice.
I have a few small issues that need to be looked at. My power steering return line drips due to old age. The engine needs a tune to like the intake and headers plus it thinks I'm not using the clutch to shift so there's a almost .5 second delay between shifts from some weird gm tune thing. And the rear diff NEEDS poly bushings vs the rubber ones. Under a high load it rotates up and rubs the rubber isolator disc on the driveshaft on the trunk/underbelly of the car causing a burned rubber smell and tossing melted rubber under the car ha.
It's just a fun car and once I'm not worried about the axles I'm really going to have fun with it . I forgot too the idler arm for the steering system on the passenger side hits my starter when turning right full lock. I gotta modify that or I'll be replacing a starter soon sadly.
I did get a crazy deal on a new set of wheels and tires from someone pulling them off a car they just bought to go back to oem. They're staggered 17/18 so they will most likely be my summer wheels if they grow on me enough. For $100 with new tires I couldn't pass it up. The amg wheels have new tires on them too but they're all seasons.
I'm going to get the thibgs done this weekend. It gave me time to set up the possible big brake setup. I will be setting up and most likely running these brakes from the camaro ss. The rears measure 14.4" and the fronts measure 14". It looks like a simple bracket machined to space the brakes correctly will be needed. Anyone have any input or thoughts on this?
They fill the wheels way better and since I need new rotors and pads for the oem brakes. I think I'd just need a perportioning valve to make sure the bias is set to where it needs to be and go from there.
The pics are of the wheels I just got. They should fit just fine might need a 1/4" spacer in the front to get the backspace where it was with the amg wheels. Best part is the rear wheels are wider than what was on the Mercedes wheels.
Got the car back together. Measured for the axles. Renting the tool for mating the brake lines together from the camaro calipers to the Mercedes lines. Ordered my front calipers and rotors.
Should have it back on the road once the axles show up. .
Front brakes are 14\" rotor with a good sized 4 piston caliper. Its quite a bit larger than the rears and wont fit over my 17" wheel without grinding the caliper but the rear 14.4" rotor with the caliper will clear it.
This is how the front camaro calipers and pads are. They have lead weights on the calipers and pads. Those had to go to clear.
The rears on with the spacer to convert from the camaro 5x120 to the mercedes 5x112. I have to machine a hub centric ring or just buy ones
Got some stuff done. All the brakes are on and done. Once the axles show up and the new water pump shows up I'll see how bad it needs a separate bias valve. These front brakes are hughes and at only $99 new for a caliper with pads it' a steal. I bought my set used for the fronts for $230 shipped to my door for calipers pads and rotors.
About 2 weeks and the axles will show up. I'm getting excited to drive this thing again.
man I cannot wait to see this thing ripping it up.
Props to putting in the work man, that's one awesome build. I'm biased, but I've always wanted to see someone dump a nasty american V8 into a milquetoast w202. Jealous!
Thanks I'm really trying to keep this car as cleanly swapped as I possibly can. I've had guys call my work on the car trash and my quality of craftsmanship an abomination but I just told that person to get bent and I make sure he knows I don' like him every time I see him at the track haha. I wouldn't say it takes crazy skill to do this swap and figure everything out but it does take more skill and thought than swapping a big block into a early 70's firebird.
I've got a quick little truck too but this is a car I can jump in and go hundreds of miles without worry. Even down to the diff, hubs and axles it's all new model reliable 200k easy reaching parts. As long as I don' over do it with the engine power there shouldn' be any issues. The truck on the other hand every time I drive it I expect it to break. Somehow though it does better than expected and always pulls decent numbers at the track for the junk parts and home built **** on it haha. Hell I was drunk and honed the cylinders with a used oilfield ballhone and a hand drill, slapped used pistons rods and rings from a different motor on my crank and threw it together with some crazy mismatched parts and it does ok and doesn' let me down.
here' a pic of the truck. I built everything on it
it runs a consistent 7.00 in the 1/8th at 97 mph with some rotting tires blown shocks and 4400' da elevation. Pretty easy 10.90's and deeper with good air. I'e never gotten to hit it with the 150 kit though the torque converter is way too high for that. I' putting slicks on it for next year to get into the 6's and then ill spray it after a converter restall.
the benz is way cleaner swapped than this though and I got nearly 3x the money into the truck. I just built it when I was younger and really only built it to beat on it and do burnouts until the tires blow. Fun stuff when you don' care about damage ha
got the axles and put them in. Bled all the systems and driving around now.
brakes work great. Even on the snow and ice they seem to be close to correct bias.
took it across the scale at the truck stop.
I was guessing 3480# and I was very close. This is with a 100% full tank.
Took it through the first car wash ever with me. Kinda a right of passage ha.
the spacers caused some rubbing so a friend brought over a Eastwood fender roller and we pulled them out some only to realize it was hitting the plastic fender liner and the plastic body trim.
car is again fast and fun. Once I remove the torque management from the tune it will light the tires up more often.
Last edited by Ls swap guy; Nov 19, 2017 at 10:12 AM.
Not much to update. The car runs well I have it emission deleted through go tuners. It’s a fun little car but when I started this build project I was only a family of 3. Now in a month and a half we will have a new born baby boy to cart around.
That being sad the wife wasn’t extatic about the ride quality and noise of the Benz and with no ac or time to really do much about it working 95 hours a week she made me buy a different vehicle. She found it for me and I’m happy about it actually. She found a 2009 CT’s v2.
So so for now this is up for sale.
Pretty much open to offers but I don’t see why 15k isn’t a good starting point. If it’s too low I’ll part it out and sell it as a swap ready roller.
Can we have some pics of the whole profile of the car and some pics of the interior?...what kind of title does it have?...and does most everything work?...I am very interested...
i will take a bunch of pictures ASAP. If you have anything specific let me know. The things that are not working right now are,
The temp gauge in the cluster, I have the mb temp sensor that needs to be installed with an adapter to the gm head then the temp wire hooked up
the gauges stick to the pins here and there, I was going to put small heat shrink tubing on the pins as I’ve ilready split the cluster and cleaned the pins with rubbing alcohol.
The headrests do do not move up and down on the front seats, you can hear the switch working but the headrests are free to move by hand and fall back down when you let go.
The hazard light switch does not work, it feels like behind the switch is broken I have no thoughts or needs to fix this.
The passenger rear window cable mechanism is not hooked up or the cable is broken, I’m not sure if this is a common problem or a easy fix.
The exhaust has a small leak at a v band and a small leak at the drivers header. This isn’t bad but you hear a pft pft pft sound at idle mostly. Also the muffler should be changed to a single 3” borla xr1 muffler. It will fit better in the car and give the ability to mount from a hanger and not solid to the body. There’s a decent amount of exhaust pulsing vibration transferred to the body right now.
The ac is not hooked up, I have the compressor and a plan but I wanted to drive the car before worrying about the ac.
The heat works but the temp is either hot or cold. You can’t adjust the temp to be warm.
The wheels rub rub the trim pieces with hard bumps. The trim needs to be trimmed where it hits or the spacers changed. I was going to trim the trim.
The spacers are not hub centric and the car has a slight wheel shake at 55 mph that goes away below 50 and above 60. Also the rear diff is mounted with poly bushings and transfers a decent amount of humming noise to the car. This is normal with the gm diff and poly bushings.
Wiping the the snow off the car this winter I forgot about the Mercedes star and broke it off. I have purchased 2 stars but the quality of the reproductions were so bad I haven’t installed anything
and I think the final issue I had was the lens cover for the passenger side front blinker fell off. From the pictures I had before the front blinker and marker lights are now clear and not the oem clear/amber lens.
That at is pretty much every issue with the car that I know of and all of it adds up to me not keeping it doe to the baby’s comfort and the wife’s nerves. It really is a super fun car. It’s not the fastest but it’s a solid 450 hp at the crank without a tune. It could use a tune to help it gain mileage and maybe even power but my money and time is now focused on the Cadillac and will be all focused on the baby very shortly.
I forgot to add and typing this on a phone is a pain as the text jumps when your typing and you can’t move things to edit.
The title is clean and clear. In my name and in my safe.
The car car can be driven or hauled and is currently located in central North Dakota. The tires were new when I bought the car and most of the miles were around town with a few trips on the highway with greater distance than 40 miles. The car could use an alignment though. All the rear suspension pieces were new and I aligned it with straight edges and tape measures. It’s close but could be aligned at a shop.
Very cool project, glad you've accomplished your goal. Very thorough post & someone truly interested in an LS W202 could save a ton of headache purchasing yours. Good luck with the sale & congrats on the new boy!
+1 congrats on completing the project. even if someone doesn't like what you did, you can still say that you did what you set out to do and that is impressive in and of itself. a detailed build thread would be great, those are a lot of work too lol
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