So my baby isn't so young anymore.
I have a 1981 Mercedes 380SL with around 200,000 miles on the clock. The odomoter stopped counting about 2 years ago and got stuck at 174,899 - and I probably do about 12,000 miles a year.
So this year I take my car into Atlantic Imported Auto (a big plug for the local SL geniuses in Jacksonville) and they promptly inform me that my car is going to need a transplant or at the very least major surgery.
This has always been on the books - I had a timing chain issue about 3 years ago, and chose not to go with a double row timing chain because of the mileage, thinking that eventually I would either undertake a restoration of the engine or find something else...
So - heres the question. Rebuild, Replace or Upgrade ?
I could take the existing 3.8 engine and rebuild it - of course all numbers would match, and this would be the right decision if I was driving a Pontoon or a Pagoda top - but a 380SL ? Are we really going to see prices going up ? If I go this direction, I'll also have to strip and rebuild a lot more than the engine - and I feel that a rebuild will probably cost more.
I could easily go to Noels or someone similar and purchase a 380SL lump - theres lots of engine builders that are out there, and this would be the least expensive option. Transplant heart and off I go for another 200,000 miles ! I might even get the odometer reset to zero if I do this ! I think that if I were to sell the car over the next year or so, this is probably the most cost effective method.
Lastly - the dream upgrade. I have lots of mercs like others on the forum - and have often toyed with the idea of playing with the 380SL and putting something a little more powerful under the hood. Like a 6.9AMG Hammer engine from the same period - or how about a 5.5litre AMG V8 from a wrecked car - theres got to be accessibility to 5.5V8's ? This is obviously the most labor intensive and costly of the three options - but I do have some financial freedom, and with the modifications I would end up with an enviable 380SL Restomod or hot-rod ! Obviously I would only consider Mercedes engines, and personally I like the idea of putting in an engine from about the same period as the car (such as a 6.9 V8).
So theres some thoughts - I'd like to hear some opinions ! Rebuild, Replace or Upgrade ?
I have a 1981 Mercedes 380SL with around 200,000 miles on the clock. The odomoter stopped counting about 2 years ago and got stuck at 174,899 - and I probably do about 12,000 miles a year.
So this year I take my car into Atlantic Imported Auto (a big plug for the local SL geniuses in Jacksonville) and they promptly inform me that my car is going to need a transplant or at the very least major surgery.
This has always been on the books - I had a timing chain issue about 3 years ago, and chose not to go with a double row timing chain because of the mileage, thinking that eventually I would either undertake a restoration of the engine or find something else...
So - heres the question. Rebuild, Replace or Upgrade ?
I could take the existing 3.8 engine and rebuild it - of course all numbers would match, and this would be the right decision if I was driving a Pontoon or a Pagoda top - but a 380SL ? Are we really going to see prices going up ? If I go this direction, I'll also have to strip and rebuild a lot more than the engine - and I feel that a rebuild will probably cost more.
I could easily go to Noels or someone similar and purchase a 380SL lump - theres lots of engine builders that are out there, and this would be the least expensive option. Transplant heart and off I go for another 200,000 miles ! I might even get the odometer reset to zero if I do this ! I think that if I were to sell the car over the next year or so, this is probably the most cost effective method.
Lastly - the dream upgrade. I have lots of mercs like others on the forum - and have often toyed with the idea of playing with the 380SL and putting something a little more powerful under the hood. Like a 6.9AMG Hammer engine from the same period - or how about a 5.5litre AMG V8 from a wrecked car - theres got to be accessibility to 5.5V8's ? This is obviously the most labor intensive and costly of the three options - but I do have some financial freedom, and with the modifications I would end up with an enviable 380SL Restomod or hot-rod ! Obviously I would only consider Mercedes engines, and personally I like the idea of putting in an engine from about the same period as the car (such as a 6.9 V8).
So theres some thoughts - I'd like to hear some opinions ! Rebuild, Replace or Upgrade ?
ok - for a moment I got real excited as I foung a Hammer on ebay :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=280022725466
So I talked with my mechanic and did some research - cool, an AMG6.9 under a 380SL hood, awesome sleeper !
But then I found out the specs : 286hp@4250 vs a 560SL 272@5000, both of which have similar 400lb/ft of torque. Talk about being bummed out - if I spent like $20,000 on transplanting a hammer into the 380SL - I'd end up with 14 horsepower over a standard 560SL ? bleagh
So ignore my comments about the hammer. It was a nice idea - I'm sure it probably would have sounded nice - but it ain't worth the money. So now its time to look at a AMG 55 and see how much one of those costs ! I personally am thinking that an AMG 55 would be a LOT harder to install and get running though.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=280022725466
So I talked with my mechanic and did some research - cool, an AMG6.9 under a 380SL hood, awesome sleeper !
But then I found out the specs : 286hp@4250 vs a 560SL 272@5000, both of which have similar 400lb/ft of torque. Talk about being bummed out - if I spent like $20,000 on transplanting a hammer into the 380SL - I'd end up with 14 horsepower over a standard 560SL ? bleagh
So ignore my comments about the hammer. It was a nice idea - I'm sure it probably would have sounded nice - but it ain't worth the money. So now its time to look at a AMG 55 and see how much one of those costs ! I personally am thinking that an AMG 55 would be a LOT harder to install and get running though.
