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Been looking for an appropriate forum area to post this project which is currently under construction and although it is a major swap it probably could be considered both "Tuning and Performance Upgrade" and will likely be something that has not already been discussed or attempted. The car is a 2002 C230K Coupe automatic (203.747)that is being swapped with a front wheel drive VW VR6 aka (104.900) which will be longitudinally mated to a MB (716.648) 6 speed manual transmission. For those who may be interested we would like to say that this will not be one of those threads that contain pictures and videos of expensive billet parts or state of the art facilities. We are not an engineering firm or business nor are we professionals and we are not trying to sell anything. Just passionate hobbyists with an appreciation for German quality and performance regardless of the German manufacturer. This backyard build may introduce a new category to the hobby, one that we call " Import Rat Rod".
The concept we are using involves the discipline of going as fast as we can for as little money as possible and making as many of the required integration parts as possible with basic fabrication tools. We are open to any and all "positive" comments and suggestions and are especially interested in any information which may exist relating to this exact swap.
VR6 engine recipient, old C230K Coupe, with worn out M111 engine and 722.6 transmission removed
VW VR6 engine, test fitted to Mercedes Benz 6 speed manual transmission, in C230K Coupe chassis, for oil pump and pan modifications.
We are still trying to decide if the engine adapter plate should be made of steel or 3/4 inch 7071 aircraft aluminum.
The lower oil pump cover and pickup had to be removed just to set the engine down into the chassis. We are working on a billet aluminum lower housing that can be bolted onto the VW oem oil pump.
VW MK3 VR6 oil pan converted to a "rear sump" configuration for installation into a W203 chassis
VR6 "mock up" engine mounted into C230 coupe with fabricated engine mount arms
Home made hotside manifold with Holset HX35 turbocharger mounted.
Home made cold side plenum coming together
Test fitting the lump into the chassis with manifolds installed.
We will provide further updates as they become available.
Thanks for looking and happy motoring....
Just a small update on this project..
We decided to convert the 24 valve VR6 dual mass flywheel to a solid flywheel at the same time we were welding the M111 starter ring gear to it. This was accomplished by carefully welding the damper drive plate to the outer shell after drilling out the rivets that hold the friction surface to the drive plate to gain access. We then tapped the friction surface plate and installed helicoils in order to bolt the unit back together.
The process is not as easy as it sounds and you have to make a lot of run out measurements as you go but in the end we had .005" run out on the friction surface and .012" on the ring gear. Next step is to rebalance the unit.
We are not aware of anyone that has ever tried this so please don't try this at home.
We also completed the intake manifold after performing some shade tree flow tests with the 75mm R32 throttle body.
We made a flange with a 3 to 4 inch transition that fit into the manifold with a slight interference and found that by rotating the throttle body so that the air flow starts to dump into the short side radius of the intake pipe there was relatively equal pressure flow into all the runners.
Sorry about the crappy pics...
nice project just do not understand why not m104 + turbo but good luck !!
Thanks for your reply
The work you are doing is very professional, it is nice to see other people are trying different things like this instead of insisting on billet this or billet that. Don't get me wrong, we wish we can afford cnc billet parts but for now we just do what we can with what we have.
I am big fan of the 104 engine but will prefer to put 606.962 fitted with dieselmeken 7mm mechanical pump and holset HX40 with 716.668 manual transmission into our next 203 coupe project. We picked the VW VR6 engine this time because no body else has tried it in this chassis and because of that we can be the pioneer of this swap. There is excellent aftermarket support for the VAG products in the US and you can modify them for much less money. New updates are coming soon.
VR6 in a Mercedes Almost looks like it belongs in there?
VR6 lives in Mercedes-Benz
This is what VR6 looks like in Mercedes-Benz Sport Coupe!
Originally Posted by nikke-nice
WOW cool project
Im planing to drop a M113 engine in a Sportcoupé with the manual transmission from the M112 V6 engine.
keep up the good work
Thank you for the kind words we appreciate it.
Your plans for the M113 coupe with a six speed manual trans sounds very nice indeed. You can do it and don't let anything get in you way!
We want to provide some update on our project for anyone who may be wandering about it....
The car is running and driving under its own power! Not yet finished but running....still working on building the exhaust system then we can test the car.
We have been driving the car for evaluation and so far it appears to be a great combination. Here are the links to YouTube videos of the car in action....
Early production VR6 engines have double row chains but later engines are single row. Engines can be retrofitted but is not required as the chains are near bullet proof.
The plastic guide rails are another story, just like the type found in many MB engines, but if you change the oil properly and replace the timing chain tensioner in time you should have no worries.
The engine in this car is completely stock, the only aftermarket "internal" parts are the ARP rod bolts, head studs, and main studs. 400+ reliable WHP is no problem for this engine without any expensive internal parts.
Aftermarket parts and tuning support for the VAG products is abundant and affordable world wide. Thanks for the reply.
08-20-2017, 11:09 PM
