Gordon Shaw

Hello all new to the forums so I apologize if this isn't in the correct space .
I own a 2004 clk500 cabriolet and I have an extra engine I picked up from salvage yard sitting on an engine stand nothing wrong with it other than it has 210,000 miles on it I picked it up in Dallas for 200$. I want to know what options I have for modifying this thing. So far I haven't been able to locate good resources for heads or stroke kits turbo supercharger besides kleeman and they are absurdly priced. My goal is to get this car to contender status a good 500+ hp if it's reasonable also does anyone know about factory internals or resources I could check for that information.

Tuners
Cams
Heads
Port and polish?
Exhaust (I don't have emissions to worry about here) non emissions county
Although I don't want it to ruin a beautiful ride maybe just let a little growl when I lay into it not annoying whilst I'm cruising with the top down.

I considered just nitrous but I hated it on my cobra although the fastes easiest route I just felt like a phony and ended up with a vortech blower and was very happy with that decision I needed up at the 1/8th mile with 9 seconds @ 110mph if I remember correctly which I was impressed with for a daily driver I'm looking to do similar with my black Betty any help is appreciated

Yidney

There is not a lot of discussion on here about those sorts of mods. People either have tunes or the rare supercharger. There was a transplant living in Dubai who used to post every day that put a Kleeman supercharger on his 500. And there are always exhaust and intake threads. But not much about heads or cams.

But you wont get 500+ hp from a tune and exhaust, etc. Not sure what the result is after a supercharger, but I don't think even that is 500 hp.

gixxerboy

your car now probably will go 9's in the 1/8 mile now but no where near 110mph, my clk just broke into the 7's on motor.

nothing is going to be cheap for a benz. but there are stuff out there , the e55 group you will probably find more answers for internals , allot of them build their motor, weistec also has superchargers and internals.

i dont know of any turbo kits. you would have to go to a turbo shop and have them custom do something. There arent aftermarket heads. It again would be finding a good shop and have them port them.

Gordon Shaw

So basically I'll have to pioneer my own mods lol that's cool I would like to bore and stroke it I would like to run motor alone but have always loved the whine of a blower gets my jimmies every time

gixxerboy

I've never seen a stroker kit. Getting to 500hp on motor alone isnt going to be easy with that motor.

I see your close to me, you will have to run me when its done. I have one of the quickest clks around on motor

Speedriven1

Hi, Gordon. We feel your "pioneer" pain, and that's why we've started pushing forward with exactly this kind of engine build. On the M113 engines, we've already built some engines with sleeved blocks, billet pistons, etc., and there are significant gains to be had by strengthening the block and upgrading the pistons. Headwork is less critical with forced induction, but if you want to build an NA motor to rev that's something that can be explored.

PM me or email us using info@speedriven.com ... we'll chat engines.

Speedriven1

100 hp/liter isn't as difficult to get as it once was. Although, yeah, he'll be better off going the SC route.

gixxerboy

i agree, but it may be more cost effective to go the sc route than the mods that would need to be done to get there engine alone

Speedriven1

100%

irokdastar

First thing you need to do is take the engine to a performance engine builders that specialized in Mercedes . The fact that it has 210K miles is worry some . You might have stress fractures or cracks among other things . but you have to address those first before you through a bunch of money into it and have the engine fail . Tell them what your goals are and what they tell you. Then have them strip the engine and see what you have to work with . I agree with speeddriven1 you should have the engine strengthened which they will do since they have to machine and bore out the engine . Plus they can get you parts custom made for your car like pistons , lifters , cams valves and pretty much all the internals . And don't forget you need to rebuild your transmission , rear end and axles .Or you can Just drop and 600+hp LS7 from a corvette or cts v and be done with it .

gixxerboy

why does he have to rebuild the trans and rear diff? They both can easly handle that HP stock. granted adding an lsd would be a good idea to get the power to the ground

Speedriven1

Um ... if you're saying he needs all that at 500 HP (he doesn't- not even close), wouldn't he need to do that with a 600 HP LS7, in addition to spending thousands on getting it to play nice with the MB trans. and electronics?

gixxerboy

i couldnt imagine the nightmare trying to get an ls7 to work and the rest of mb electronics to function properly

Gordon Shaw

Ok thanks for all the replays guys what kind of tuner would you recommend I have heard claims of anywhere from 25-100 horse from a good tune I spoke with the engine build guy I don't think that makes sense at least for now I'm going to tear this motor down this weekend and get the original piston and rods out cams etc see what My local machine join could do to make it more aggressive I'm in no hurry but I'm not spending Mercedes money on it. Local machine shop H&H in Hilton city seems to be the most reasonable like one of the fellows I spoke with said the piston doesn't know what it's going in so as long as I bring the original equipment Ill tell them it's going into a Honda or something lol and I can have a custom rebuild done with custom new parts and they shouldn't rape me at least it shouldn't be the luxury rape I have been running into when I name drop Mercedes seems buttholes pucker when I tell them details I'm going to keep it vague with what I'm actually working on bring my factory exhaust to the muffler shop and have him build me some custom headers to fit probably 4-500 around here so glad I have this spare motor it's going to make life easier.

Also rear end gears? I had 3.55 in the cobra and I was happy that was with the vortech blower though if I'm going n/a what you guys recommend? Where to buy? Also the limited slip stuff where would I get that?

Also this lock cylinder has been giving me fits for a month now I'm about ready to bypass it for the time being I ordered a replacement from a salvage yard but the line in holes leak now the prongs are impossible to find the ones I did mange to find from Texas seal company in Grand Prairie fit the hole barley but they also leak! I'm about the have a fit! Lmao any help on this bulls would be appreciated

Gordon Shaw

Yes no doubt I'm all about competitors why else are we doing this lol gotta have the bragging rights and it's always cool to see what other people came up with on the same car nice to share ideas

gixxerboy

you def have to have the blocked sleeved and get new pistons, that is the weak point of the engine.

As far as gears and lsd. Quafi and wavetrak both make good units, i have a wavetrak.

for changing the gears its more complicated than the cobra. My car has 2.65 stock gear. I bought a rear diff out of a clk55 that has 3.06 in it. But you have to have the tcm programmed for the new gear ratio.
speeddriven1 who has been commenting can help you with the lsd and programing the tcm. you are going to have to find a rear diff out of another car to get new gears, but your not going to find 3.55's.

i have headers for your motor in that price range you are looking for.

Gordon Shaw

So the 55 stuff will bolt on to the clk500? Is the 55 engine forged or are any of them made for boost that will fit right in?

gixxerboy

depends on what parts. but some do.
the 55 engines were all supercharged except the c class and the clk. But the pistons arent forged , so they are still a weak point.

Speedriven1

Some will, some won't.

irokdastar

There is no way your going to put an extra 200 hp without having transmission issue . put it this way the transmission is already worn since its been in there from the factory . if your going to add 200hp you will burn it out in no time . its the weakest link in the system and if he is going to push the car all the time which I imagine he will want to do since he is looking for 500hp it will burn the transmission .


As for the rear diff if your happy with the gearing that fine but some people change it when adding that much hp . it all depends on if you want quick pickup from stop or more top speed .


As for the chevy v8 comment . its been done . Yes you will have to deal with the electronics but they do make standalone ls7 engine computers . so you can bypass the Mercedes benz computers . it will cost more to fit it but it will be cheaper than rebuilding the Mercedes v8 which has virtually no parts available . plus the supercharger is about 10K if not more .


I think the best thing for you to do is sell your car and get the clk63 convertible . it already has 467 hp and with some light mods and tune you can easily reach 500hp . and at the end of the day you have a 63 amg . because whatever money you dump into the engine you have now you will never get back 10% of it .

gixxerboy

the trans in his car is the same thats in the e55, its actually a stronger trans then what is in the 63's. It doesnt matter that his car is adding 200hp, that trans comes in cars close to that stock and people have them well over 600 at the wheels with out issue.

as for the rear diff, Most people do not change the gear ratio, i am doing it and for the newer 722.9 model cars its not easy and there are a couple places in the country that can do it. Hell my tcm is going to Germany to get programed for it. And i cant find one other person that has done it here. eurocharged, weistec cant do it. Kleemann cant do it the US and have to ship it to their location in Germany.
It is easier on his car but still not a common mod. People will add an lsd. You cant compare modding the benz with a mustang.

there are parts for that engine, also yes there is a stand alone unit for the ls motor, but you still have to get all the Mercedes electronics left to function with out the engine or trans. Everything ties together , all the modules are like a computer network, you cant just remove modules and the car still work properly.

irokdastar

Ok let's talk engine only forget about the transmission. What will it cost to get that engine to put down 500 hp . If the supercharger alone is about 10k . How much will it cost for the labor , new parts etc . Even if you do it all for 15k . You can pick up a 2007 clk 63 convertible for around 22k to 25k . So if he sells his clk500 and takes the 15k for the mods he will have a clk 63 amg ready to go and he doesn't have to go through the headache . Just my thought

Speedriven1

I feel like he could get there for well under $15K.

gixxerboy

i agree, and then he will also have a new stronger build motor

Speedriven1

I think, all-in, $7-9K for the engine. Maybe another $1500 for headers and straight pipes, if that. The trans. is already almost what it needs to be. TCU tune, maybe valve body ... it's there. I'd love to do it. High-compression heads, bump the redline, maybe a big throttle body. 500 hp/liter isn't exactly black magic these days like it was in the 1970s- would be fun!