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I am cross-posting this from another forum. Please don't hate on the Crossfire, some of us like our red-headed stepchildren
I'll condense the posts down a little bit, but the aim here is to make sure this is documented in more than one place, and since I have seen several people ask about M113/M113K swaps into an R170 on this forum, I thought it might help out. It will also explain why a few of the references are not MBWorld specific. If you don't like the Crossfire, that's ok. Most of what will be posted is 'generic' R170, and will apply to your SLK exactly the same way it went in my Crossfire. In fact, other than shots of the whole car, I did try to keep the bodywork out of the frame (for the most part), so that you can see it for the basic R170 that it is. Some of the info, you probably already know. I had the benefit of coming straight out of a different make/model platform, and this is my first in-depth MB project. Mistakes were made along the way, and I wanted everyone to see them, so that they could avoid them on their own projects. So, I'll start at the beginning of the story. Warning: This is a long, verbose project journal!
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27 June 2021
I had intended to swap an engine into our 2004 SSB Crossfire since the beginning of our ownership of this car. We had four other Crossfires at the time, including two SRT-6's. This Crossfire joined our fleet at 98k miles, as a non-running vehicle. The previous owner had it worked on by several shops, none of whom could diagnose the failed RCM that was causing most of its issues. Replacing two bad relays inside of it gave us a running, driving car. Later, every suspension piece in the car was replaced, an upgrade to Bilstein B6 shocks all the way around, and SRT-6 springs. At the same time, SRT-6 brakes and wheels were swapped in. A few upgrades to the interior, mainly with the radio, and other niceties, but aside from that, the car is pretty well stock, and just maintained it to be a good driver. That is all about to change.
The plan had been to swap in a completely different engine. The original intent was to put a Chrysler 2.4L Turbo engine in. I have a very built up 2.4 from a SRT-4, that makes right at 600whp on 93 pump gas (not a joke!). An adapter plate was acquired, which allowed a 5.7L Hemi version of the 722.6/NAG1 transmission to bolt up it. The 2.4/722.6 was mocked up in a SRT6 parts car, and was midway through the process of fabricating the oil pan and engine mounts. While cruising Craigslist one morning, and I came across someone parting out a CL55 AMG, and suffice it to say, a deal was struck, and the powertrain and most of the computers from that car are now in the shop.
So, course change, and now we are heading into a swap we all know works. This thread will be split up into a few sections, as far as the swap is concerned. First will be the transmission, as this portion was completed first. Second will be the engine, and everything it needs to be happy, including fueling, cooling, electronics, etc. Lastly, will be the rear axle setup. There is also another thread, detailing technical aspects of the rear axle.
The second post will be reserved for links, part numbers and otherwise useful information about how to get parts to do this swap. It will be sparse at first, but it will be filled up before long. Part II of this series in the third post.
This post will be reserved for part numbers, links and other useful acquisition information. It will be edited as I get information to post into it.
Most everyone knows, but since I referenced it, find good deals on cars and parts from Craigslist. You'll be amazed at how many Crossfire related things you will find!
Many parts from RockAuto <- if you're not shopping there already, great prices on a ton of stuff for our cars. There are discount codes for 5% off everyday, so search for the codes (they expire periodically, but there's always a new one).
Air Filters HASTINGS / BALDWINAF1290
Supercharger belt GATESK080507RPM
Accessory Belt GATESK060970
Spark Plugs NGK93893
Idler Pulley DAYCO89161
Belt Tensioner ÜRO PARTS1122000970
Intake Manifold Gasket MAHLEMS19439
Water Pump ÜRO PARTS1132000101
Exhaust Manifold Gaskets MAHLEMS19393 Actually a set of 6 for SRT6, but the same. They were not in stock for the M113K, so I ordered these
A/C Filter Drier FOUR SEASONS83093A Crossfire part that I will replace, as I will have the system evacuated, and recharged, anyway
The first part tackled in this project was the transmission. Since I already had the NAG1 from a 2009 Dodge Charger 5.7L Hemi for the 2.4L project, this would become the basis for the M113K swap, as well. The stock Crossfire transmission is a W5A330 unit, meaning it is a 722.6 transmission, rated at 330NM torque. The Charger's unit is a W5A580, meaning it is rated at 580NM torque. Externally, they are very similar, save for the bellhousing, which is distinctly Crossfire. My plan is to use the main casing from the 5.7, all of the internals from the 5.7, and the bellhousing, rear mount, shift lever and pan from the Crossfire (Crossfires have a drain plug in the pan. Very handy!)
It makes sense to put in the best bolt in improvements that could be easily made to the transmission since it was all going to be apart, anyway. A call to Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts had a pile of stuff on its way. Also ordered was a torque converter, conductor plate, standard rebuild seal kit, an Alto red band/Kolene steel plate set (high performance!), a TransGo shift improvement kit, and separately the coveted Blue Top Solenoids from Mercedes Benz. More on each of these as we go.
The first task was disassembly of the 5.7L transmission, and separately disassembly of a badly slipping Crossfire transmission to harvest the bellhousing, pan, shift lever, and rear mount plate. The rest was pretty much discarded. On the 5.7L trans (which will be the only one I am talking about from here on out), discarded was the bellhousing, pan, rear mount and the shift lever. Stock Crossfire trans, sans Bellhousing
Everything was taken apart, run through the parts washer, and then the main case, bellhousing, and rear mount plate, and spent several hours in the bead blaster. Once done, everything was thoroughly cleaned, dried and masked off for powder coating. I'm a big believer in powder coating. A powder coated SRT4 transmission in another project car has lasted 15 years ago, despite being in and out of the car several times, driven daily on dirt roads, snow, rain, you name it, it still looks really nice. Powder does a great job at being easy to clean up, and resisting corrosion. Main casing blasted, cleaned, masked, and ready to apply powder. Main casing blasted, cleaned, masked, and ready to apply powder.
Sharp readers will see the very Chrysler part/casting number on top, along with some extra screw bosses and other minor changes. This being a 2009 model casing, the thought process was that the casting will have received all of the improvements that production fleshed out over the 5 year difference from the Crossfire transmission. After blasting, powder was applied. I don't have any pics of what it looked like before it went into the oven, as one tends to not waste time once the powder is on, risking something happening to the powder that is only sticking to the parts by shear static electricity at this point. A two stage powder was applied, which is color and then clear. More info after some pics:
One thing I wish I would have taken the time to do was to grind/sand the casing to get rid of the bulk of the surface casting roughness. I didn't, but wish I had. The base color powder is Reflective Chrome with a clear coating afterwards on all parts. If you look closely, though, the rear bracket looks almost chrome, but the rest does not. There is a good reason for that. I wanted a slightly darker grey metallic look, much like it found on some high end cars and industrial equipment. To achieve the regular chrome, you apply the chrome powder, bake it, let it cool, apply clear. That was done on the rear mount. To get the grey, you have to work fast! The casing and bellhousing were pulled from the oven from the chrome powder portion (stage 1), and when the parts cooled only to about 240°, the clear (stage 2) is immediately applied, which began to "flash" right away. It takes several heavy coats, and then put in the oven for a full cure. This gives an interesting effect, and I am happy with the results. The finish is very glossy, but not so bright as to look like a rattle can job. Next post, the build is done!
Whether through eBay, or other means, go get the ATSG brand 722.6 transmission manual, if you are going to ever go through a rebuild on your trans. It is very informative, and tells you many caveats that the OE manuals just will not tell you. It is very detailed. Second, spend the money, and get the Alto Friction/Steel Module kit. It increases the number of clutch discs and steels by 50% in most cases. It uprates the 722.6 to handle 750hp, and will handle more. A good friend runs these in his very wild Challenger (~1000hp), and that trans has been holding up fine. While apart, a few other items were added. First, the TransGo shift improvement kit. This is not a shift kit in the traditional sense, as it will do precisely nothing for making this trans shift harder, or change the dynamics of when and how the shifts occur. Instead, it addresses reliability concerns in the trans, and prevents things like shudders or flare ups between gears, and will allow gear changes to happen more quickly. Second, upon recommendation, MB Blue Top solenoids were installed. There is a ton of debate out there about these, but the general consensus is that these will allow better control of the trans, and much, much faster shifts. The more modern, high end AMG cars all got these, while the more pedestrian MB products got the same "Brown Top" solenoids that the Crossfire received. The Hemi guys swap to the Blue Tops with very favorable results. Downside is that they are pricey. You are looking at about $370 for the pair. Ouch. I am having Josh Chase do the ECU and TCM tuning, and he recommended them for this build. Enough said.
The trans was completed this evening, and here are some final pics of the outcome.
One last thing about the trans. The dipstick. The 5.7L apparently uses a different dipstick arrangement, as the placement of the hole for it is larger in diameter, and higher up on the case than the Crossfire trans. I am going to need to get ahold of a dipstick of the Hemi, and try to make it work. It appeared that there were a few ways to get the Crossfire dipstick tube to work, but it looked like a hack, and would probably wind up leaking. For now, the trans is done, and ready to go into the car. It sits on the dolly, and will now be pushed to the side, and start on the next task. In the next episode, work begins on the engine.
It was a busy weekend! Most of the work accomplished in the last few days was important, but tedious and time consuming. It was time to turn attention to the engine, and that meant tackling a lot of little jobs, along with the obvious changes, such as the exhaust manifolds and the accessories. I have to say that overall, the exhaust manifolds went smoothly, but it seems stressful, whenever you take an air cutoff wheel to hard to find parts! Despite knowing what I was getting in to, the manifolds are still the craziest design I have ever seen! The "double hull" likely provides a hedge against thermal cracking and warping.
Let's begin. In the shop, I have not only this M113K, but also an M112K from a wrecked SRT-6. That engine is a good running engine. After removing it from the wrecked car, I pulled a plug on each cylinder, and dumped some oil into each one, turning the engine over several times to distribute it. What I didn't think about, nor realize was that the oil would wind up inside both "hulls" of the exhaust manifold. When I removed the manifolds from the M112K for this project, I dumped a little oil out of them. As I was cutting them open, oil began leaking out all over the place! Just a little cautionary tale, when trying to pickle one of these engines!
Measuring the mid point between cylinder 2 & 3 and 6 & 7, I then moved about 0.150" towards the rear, and made a cut all the way around. One the M112K manifolds (same as M112, BTW), I did a similar thing, but offset towards the front of the engine, cutting the front port off of each one. Doing this left me with way too much material. It was tedious, but I ground on them for a long time, getting a nice even fit. I paid a lot of attention to where the manifold to cylinder studs were lining up, trying to keep them centered, and without any side loading. After completion, I bead blasted all of the parts. The necessary 'hybrid' exhaust manifold for the V8 swap
Next it was time to weld them. I must preface this by saying that I am an engineer by day, and not a welder. It shows. The first attempt involved a recently acquired TIG welder, and some 308L rod. Practicing on the scraps of the manifolds, I thought I had a handle on it, so began work on the actual pieces. Boy! Was I wrong! It was coming out horrible, and nothing seemed to work right. Lots of reading online commenced, attempting to figure out what settings on the welder were wrong, and reattempting. Started to sort of work, but seemed to take more effort than any of the aluminum I had previously welded with it. And then, near disaster! A burn through. At this point, hours had been wasted on the TIG attempt. Time for Plan B! Getting out the trusty Lincoln MIG, and loading it with some 316L .030" wire, it went along as well as could be! Filled in the rather larger burn through, and stitched the rest up. Now, please, be gentle! I know almost anyone else with a welder is better at this than me. I thought about calling a half dozen people I know who will actually call themselves a welder. Nah! Push through. Results are what they are, but I think they are sealed up, and will hold together. (They were tacked together bolted to the engine, BTW)
Literally, the most stressful part of the project is now out of the way!
Next it was time to address the accessories and the front of the engine. The first thing I did this weekend was to strip everything down, plug up all the critical holes and pathways, and then give the engine its second washing. This got rid of the remaining hidden grease and grime, and left me with this fairly clean front section.
The rust stain matched the much nastier looking water pump, and gave the tell tale sign that water was sitting in this engine for a while. Further cleaning and detailing occurred until it was time to begin reassembly. The plan was to replace the water pump, thermostat, accessory idler, and the accessory tensioner. The power steering pump on this M113K is an extended one for the ABC adjustable suspension that the CL55 had. This necessitated a Crossfire power steering pump. The A/C compressor looked identical, so the decision was made to stick with the M113K's, as it is lower mileage than the one in the car. The alternator from the CL55 appears to be both larger, more robust, and better quality. We'll go with that one.
First up was the thermostat. Opening the box, despite being the correct part number, yielded a thermostat housing for a non-"K" engine. Upon inspection, it appeared that the thermostat itself was the same, so the M113K thermostat was disassembled, bead blasted, and the guts of the thermostats were swapped. Problem solved! Onto the water pump. OK, what a pain! This was a correct part number for the M113K. Still, there were three holes in the casting that are needed, but were not threaded. I read about this problem in Jared's V8 swap THREAD, and thought I was on top of it. Nope. The "K" engine has two more needed holes for the supercharger belt tensioner. Fortunately, the tools for the job were on hand, but still... I digress.
If you swap a V8 into your car, or even just replace the water pump at all, carefully compare the new one to the old one, checking for untapped holes.
Once past this, the rest went well. All of the attachment points needed are there on the M113K, even thought they are not used. For instance, there is a hook and a tapped hold, specifically for the tank of a power steering pump that other engines (like the M112/M112K) have. It's almost like MB was thinking people might swap engines!
I hit one other minor snag. The power steering pump came from the wrecked SRT-6. The pulley from that engine is an 8 rib pulley, as one drive belt runs everything, including the supercharger. The M113K has a separate accessory belt drive, and supercharger belt drive. The ABC pump pulley would probably fit, but it has a large 'hat' on it that appears to be there to add mass. Perhaps to dampen vibration or noise? Anyway, the SRT-6 pulley allows a good mock up, to be sure everything is OK. When the project car goes under the knife later this week, the M112 type pulley will be swapped in.
Next up, the intake manifolds and valve covers will be removed, bead blasted and powder coated. Spark plug change time, and a fuel rail modification to "loop" the rail, ending fuel starvation problems at the front of the engine. After that, mating of the engine and trans, and then we are just about ready to bring the Crossfire into the shop to remove the engine. Stay tuned!
I've been pretty busy with work lately, and have just a smaller update today. That has to do with the fuel rail. The fuel rail on these engines is "U" shaped, with fuel flowing in just behind the injector for cylinder #8. #8 winds up having the bulk of any problems in these engines, and the thought is that it goes lean under high loads, for some unknown reason related to the U shape starving it. Personally, I do not subscribe to that theory (I believe it is coolant flow related). However, it's fairly easy to see where #1 & #5 could have problems. The solution is known as 'looping the fuel rail'. What this means is to add fittings to the end of the legs of the "U", and make a piece of fuel line to tie the two sides together. This makes a big loop, rather than a U. There are two basics ways to get this done. First, shell out $600-1100 for a modified fuel rail, or do it yourself. Choosing the latter, but still lacking an measurable TIG welding skills, I set to work. On the shelf was another stainless steel fuel rail for a Dodge SRT-4, and so it became the guinea pig. After gaining reasonable enough proficiency in the practice of ruining a fuel rail with a torch, I got the hack saw out, and in a few minutes, the ends were lopped off the M113K fuel rail, and the stainless steel flat bungs to -6 AN fittings were positioned in their place. After an excruciating amount of time, and not so pretty looking welds, it was complete. I built a temporary fuel line using "normal" AN line, but there is some PTFE type line coming, and will build a replacement with those fittings soon. Real Welders: Please be kind, K? Thx.
I measured the line length for reference, and am placing it here for posterity.
This same day, the intake "tanks" or plenums, and the valve covers were powdercoated. The powder on one valve cover came out terribly. Bad enough that the chemical powder stripper (read: REALLY nasty acid stuff) was broken out, and the valve cover was stripped, re-blasted, and re-coated. This last sentence was about a 5 hour ordeal. Interesting side note is that the acid seems almost benign when working with aluminum, but it reacts fairly aggressively with the magnesium of these valve covers. They got hot!
Today it was also realized that RockAuto sent me valve cover gaskets for a V6. An Advance Auto Parts 45 minutes away had the right ones, so those have been picked up. The hope for tomorrow is to have the engine bolted to the trans, and everything dressed out.
Made a little more progress today. Completed was final assembly of the engine, and mating of the transmission to the engine. It took most of the day to complete that last sentence, but it's done, and more or less ready to be put into the car, save some small hardware and that power steering pulley. Have other chores to do tomorrow, but I am hoping to begin disassembly of the car itself tomorrow night, with the goal of having the old engine out and the engine bay pressure washed by Tuesday night. We'll see what actually gets done!
Today attention shifter to the car itself. Before disassembly, it seemed like a good idea to find out exactly what the car weighed before the swap. Setting up a set of Intercomp corner scales, this is what the car weighed before taking anything apart. Before the swap weight
Now a few notes on these numbers. This car is mostly, but not completely stock. It does have SRT-6 brakes, which do weigh a little more. It does have SRT-6 wheels, but not sure they weigh any different than regular Crossfire wheels. . If I were to hazard a guess, 40# total is probably a decent number. The car has other minor changes, but nothing that would impact these numbers by more than 20-25#. There is a little over 1/4 tank of fuel onboard. All other fluids are at their proper levels. OK! We have a starting point.
Disassembly then began in earnest, removing the entire stock Crossfire exhaust, driveshaft, ancillary items, and finally the engine was out. I need to pause here and say a few words about the M112. It truly is a wonderful engine! It is responsive, smooth, and sounds very nice. This one here has now gone 109k miles, and was running perfectly when removed. It will not sit idle for long, though. My son's black 04 has not lived the kindest life, and the powertrain is tired. This engine and trans will be cleaned up a bit, and then dropped whole into his 04 within a few weeks.
While everything is apart, it is a good time to get the engine bay cleaned up. The car was set back on the ground, and pushed outside for a degreasing, and a general cleanup of the engine bay.
Car is now back up in the air, and will drip dry until tomorrow afternoon. Goal for tomorrow will be to simply bolt the M113K into the car. Can't wait!
It always seems like you are within reaching distance of putting an engine into a car, and then you realize that there are a myriad of small parts, hoses, fittings, etc that should be taken care of before the engine goes in. So it was here, today. Approaching the engine install, it appeared that all was ready, but in reality, there was still about 3 hours of minor nit-noy stuff that had to be taken care of. Eventually, the moment had arrived, it was go time! Load leveler installed, attached to the hoist, time for that nerve wracking time of a swaying 1000# weight hanging over your pretty car, ready to bump, scratch, tip or even crush your work, and if you're really unlucky, maybe even yourself! OK, being dramatic. On with it.
It was just about this time that I realized I had a problem. Those who have swapped V8's in probably already spotted it. I used the engine mount brackets from the V8. Specifically, for a V8 in a CL55. Yeah, they won't work in the tiny R170 platform. Grrrrrr.
Here's a comparison of the CL55 mount on the left, and the Crossfire mount on the right. These are both from the right side of the engine. Slight difference, eh? Swapping the right side was a non-issue (just time consuming), but the left side was a different matter. The engine mount bracket has a provision for supporting the rear of the A/C compressor. The V8 bracket fits this bill easily, but the smaller V6 bracket doesn't reach. I should have taken a pic, but didn't (was in a hurry/frustrated), but the solution was to simply take a hack saw to the V8 bracket, and cut that ear off the end of the bracket, bolt it to the block, and the A/C compressor to it. Crude, but effective. After the bracket swap was complete, things went much more smoothly. At last, here is the result:
Looks so big in there! Working on this engine is definitely going to be more of a challenge than the M112. It almost looked like the hood wouldn't quite make it, but alas, it does!
There's still tons of work left to be done. All of the usual parts need to be reinstalled. Exhaust system will be a mix of stock SRT6, and fabricated portions. There's wiring, hoses, and the usual items associated with the engine, plus a bigger fuel pump (and I will be adding a pressure regulator and return line), cooling fans, oil cooler, intercooler cooling circuit, and more. On top of that, work has not even begun yet on the rear axle and differential portion. Unfortunately, I have to take a little break from this project, and turn my attention elsewhere, but I will return to it in about two weeks. Until then, Happy Motoring!
11 August 2021 I have done some work in the past week, but neglected to take any useful pics. The 3.27:1 differential has been swapped out for a 3.07:1 unit from an SRT-6. This will keep the MercedesSwapShop TCU happy. Installation of the SRT-6 exhaust began, but quickly ran into a problem of a missing mounting point for the resonator. The 2004 rear subframe not only does not have the two tapped holes to bolt the mount bracket, but it is also shaped slightly differently, so that it is not practical to drill and tap the holes. Breaking out the trusty MIG welder made quick work of the bracket, albeit, the solution is somewhat permanent. The exhaust is mounted up, and the left side mid-pipe is installed. The right side uses a very odd sealing arrangement, and a search of the parts catalog and many parts stores yielded no results. Needswings has a kit that includes this seal, and it will arrive tomorrow.
Left to do is a myriad of small items. The transmission cooling lines, torque converter bolts, and then all of the specific bits on the engine need to be hooked up. Tomorrow fabrication of the oil cooler solution, charge air cooler system, and wiring will begin. Finally, the last major hurdle is the power steering and cooling system. The SRT-6 power steering pump interferes with the upper radiator hose. It seems that the outlet on the radiator points down at a roughly 45 degree angle, and pushes the hose directly into the pulley. The pump will be swapped out for the 2004 N/A style pump, which has a lower profile pulley. Unfortunately, it also means that the power steering pressure line needs to be swapped, as the line is specific to each pump. Access to the steering box went from hard to ridiculous with this swap. I haven't quite figured out how I will get that line swapped out, without unbolting engine mounts, and lifting the engine up.
Depending on progress, the hope is to at least fire the engine this weekend, but significant hurdles remain before that can happen.
12 August 2021
More progress this evening, but no pics. This is due to the fact that the work was largely routine. M112K type power steering pump was removed, to be replaced with a standard M112 pump, which has a slimmer front profile for clearance. I need to acquire a set of crows feet type sockets to get at the power steering pressure line, which is pump specific. That will get done tomorrow. Under the car, torque converter bolts were installed, transmission electrical and cooling lines installed, and lastly a dipstick for the transmission. This is a 5.7L Hemi version of the NAG1, and it uses a different dipstick tube than the M112/M112K/M113K setups used. Unfortunately, the 5.7 tube put the end point right at the "Y" for the air intake. After some time in the vise, and several trips to the bench grinder, the tube has been modified (while retaining original length), and bent towards the passenger side, exiting just above the #4 ignition coil. This setup will allow the use of a standard B&M brand dipstick, made specifically for the Hemi version of the NAG1, which means a real filling tube, with a real functioning dipstick. Definitely happy about this one!
Tomorrow, there is some cleanup work with the transmission shields for the electrical plugs, the right side exhaust downpipe, and then back to the power steering pump. Saturday looks clear to be a full day in the shop. Hopefully some major progress will happen then!
15 August 2021 I had hoped to make major progress this weekend, but sometimes the little things just take much longer than anyone would guess. Case in point would be the heat exchanger, pump, radiator fans and oil cooler. If I was inclined to put in the work it would take to shift the entire powertrain back 3", like it really should be, then all of the rest up front would be elementary. The choice was made pretty early on to not do any of that, so suffering is the word of the day. The heat exchanger was purchased in a previous parts deal, but the mounts, pump bracket, hoses and more all came from the wrecked SRT-6 that has been slowly donating itself to this project. The wrecked car took a hard hit to the front right corner, and resulted in everything up front being turned into pretzels, including the heat exchanger brackets. After spending much time with a hammer and the vise, they were straightened enough to do the job. All of the needed mounting holes were already in the 04 Crossfire.
One item of note here was the transmission cooler line that mounts to the top fitting (ie, the longer one). It is shaped different to clear this bracket. It could be bent, but in this case, I just grabbed the one from the parts car, and it fit fine.
Next up was the intercooler pump. The upper hole was in the car already, but the two lower ones were not. I chose to add them by adding nutserts, as these really make life easier when it comes to maintenance. After that, the heat exchanger was added, but then removed for access to the A/C condenser. This is where the real challenges began. Clearance between the engine and the radiator is now just about nil. Gone are the days of servicing the radiator by unclipping it, leaning it back and pulling it out easily. The solution was to cut two access notches into the upper core support. This allows the radiator to angle only slightly, but come out. Also trimmed the lower locating pegs on the radiator by about 1/4", which makes this process 10x easier in the future. Now, you're thinking, but why are you taking the radiator out? Glad you asked. Up until now, the radiator never has come out of the car - even throughout engine removal and replacement. The plan was to use some sort of OEM fan package. The extraordinarily tight clearance between the engine and radiator changed all of that, however. The new solution was to use two 12" fans out in front of the A/C condenser, and then a large oil cooler (M113K does not have an integral oil cooler), and a 14" fan next to it on the back side of the radiator. Using standard fan/cooler mounts (read: glorified zip ties), access to the condenser and the radiator separately was needed. Sparing the reader all the gory details, the zip ties would have to be cut to remove the radiator in the future. However, once those are cut, and the 14" fan and oil cooler are also removed, the radiator can be removed, without disassembling large portions of the engine. The big question will be if these three fans and the large oil cooler will be enough to keep the engine cool. Soliciting opinions from folks who have swapped V8's into their Crossfires yielded a very wide range of creative solutions for keeping the car cool. If this doesn't work, then I will look into some other way of running the oil cooler, and supplementing the 14" fan with another. The other lingering question will be if the MB PWM based fan controller will run these. I have about a 50/50 mix of results from those who messaged me on it. I'd like to use it, but if it will not keep the car cool, then an aftermarket fan controller will be added in.
Many other smaller items were also accomplished, such as swapping in the 04 V6 power steering pump and pressure line, completing the exhaust, transmission cooling lines, transmission wiring, swapping in the programmed SKREEM, TCU, and a huge list of nit-noy items. Tomorrow was supposed to be a regular work day, but as Tropical Storm Fred approaches, work has shut down, handing me some more shop time Tomorrow the intercooler plumbing will be completed, along with all of the upper radiator plumbing, and then moving on to the wiring. At that point the car should be ready to start, save one item. The oil cooler lines. Those are -10 AN, but the vendor shipped -6 line along with all of the shiny new -10 fittings. Looks like we will be waiting a little longer to fire this thing up.
20 August 2021 Unfortunately, there's no accomplishing a project of this magnitude, without problems. No check engine light, but there is an ever so slight fuel leak from one of the fittings that was welded to the fuel rail. Already have that back off the car, cleaned all the fuel our if it with water, blown dry, and now sitting overnight.
Another issue is fuel pressure. The pump was upgraded to a unit from an SL55/65, but the Crossfire regulator/filter assembly remains. According to the parts manual, the 2003 CL55 AMG uses the same unit, and that unit sets the pressure at 55psi. The tuner tells me that it needs to be 86psi. When everything was apart, one thin not mentioned here was that the full fuel feed line was removed from the SRT6 parts car and added to this car. Not replacing the existing - adding. The reason for this was to add the capability of putting an adjustable fuel pressure regulator up in the engine bay, and use this additional feed line as a fuel return. The factory regulator/filter assembly will be replaced with a Ford type filter, as it should fit the stock location nicely, but eliminate the built in regulator. This will be accomplished tomorrow. Using the new fittings for the fuel rail loop, each side of the tail will now plumb over to the new adjustable regulator. I should have just set that up from the beginning, but the fuel rail wound up having to come off the car, anyway.
I thought I'd have video tonight, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
21 August 2021
More research on this, this morning says that there should be 72-86psi at idle. This is a very wide range! After the welding is done on the fuel rail this morning, installation of the external fuel pressure regulator, return line, and "straight through" style fuel filter will begin. It shouldn't be too difficult since the fuel rails are already setup with the fuel rail loop fittings, and the actual return line is already in the car.
The big question is how the OEM setup regulated pressure. I am reading conflicting information on the subject. Later cars seemed to have gone to dual in tank pumps with a regulator. Earlier cars had a fuel system setup more akin to the Crossfire, but the actual pressure regulator appears to not be there, ie, the pump ran wide open to the engine, without regulation. It is amazing to me how little true technical data is out there for the MB cars. It's as if the whole setup is a mystery, and people are just used to operating in the dark. This is the only series of cars I have worked on where hard data seems to be so elusive. I digress.
24 August 2021
Sorry for the lack of updates. Been battling fuel leaks and setup issues. The OE filter/regulator has been replaced with a straight through SL55 AMG type filter, and the return line attached. Up front the new adjustable regulator has been plumbed in. Unfortunately, one of the -6AN fittings on the fuel rail got a nick in it, and proceeded to leak. Many attempts at cleaning up the nick slowed it down slightly, but any fuel leak is a no-go. A set of Koul Tools fitting fixer tools was ordered, and using the tool got the leak under control quickly and painlessly. In the process now of assembling the OE air filter boxes. Some interference on the driver's side with the return line from the front of the rail, but that will be addressed in a week or two. Using Car-Part.com, another M113K rail was purchased, and the plan is to use that, but also modify the fuel feed point to the center rear of the assembly, to eliminate the low pressure spot for #8 that is caused by the stock fuel feed location. FWIW, it would appear that the M112K should suffer from this same issue.
A very knowledgeable individual stepped up, and helped me with fuel pressure setup numbers. For reference, the really high numbers are not correct. 60psi at idle is the correct number.
Next will be the cooling fans. Currently, they are wired off of the original PWM type fan controller, but as has been noted by others, it does not run the fans fast enough. The car hasn't been driven yet, but it already wants to run fairly warm while sitting still. Based on that, one could guess that sitting in traffic in Florida summer heat with the A/C on is not going to go well. Likely, the fans will be wired to be full on for the time being, and an aftermarket controller wired in soon.
24 August 2021 OK! Eventful night! The initial build of the car is now complete. After buttoning it up and putting it on the ground, the first order of business was to keep the process scientific. That meant getting out the corner weight scales, and weighing the car. Any guesses on how much weight the M113K, plus the intercooler accessories and all supporting bits added to the car?
If you said 300# (my son's guess), then you we wrong. Very wrong.
Subtracting the original weight (posted above) of 3125#, the total weight added to the car was a grand total of 142#!!! FTR, the scales were properly zeroed, and a comparison check was made.
An initial ride felt good, and without getting on it much, it went through all 5 gears, and worked in manual mode, too. After checking things over, I went up the road one more time, and leaving a stop sign, the engine RPM flared up, and then the transmission caught, and an immediate check engine light. Grrrrr! Back to the shop.
Transmission fluid was low. Despite running it through the gears on jack stands, it was still low, and so fluid was added. Codes were cleared, and another test drive was attempted. Shifted 1-2 no problem, went to 3rd, and then suddenly revved like it was in neutral. Slowed down, caught again, limped home. Transmission fluid leaking from somewhere up front on the right side, right at the bolt that runs from the transmission to the bellhousing (from the rear). Unsure what is going on. Called it a night. Frustrating. Tomorrow is another day.
26 August 2021
Was able to work for just a little while tonight.
Drained some transmission fluid off, and after going through the proper procedure, found that it had been overfilled by more than a quart. No more leakage was observed, but the car remained on jackstands tonight.
Hooked up SDS/ DAS, and cleared out a bunch of old fault codes and adaptives from the TCU and other modules.
Weather was bad here tonight, so no test drives.
Car would run about 219° at idle with an 80° ambient temperature. Too hot! Tomorrow I will attempt to fit a W203 fan (thanks to @Dave2302 from SLKWorld!). My initial preference is to turn it into a pusher fan and put it in front of the A/C condenser, but that probably has a less than 25% chance of success. After that, it will be time to relocate the radiator, much like Dave did on his SLK project.
27 August 2021 Tonight saw some forward progress. Radiator removed, and spot welds for the lower core support were drilled out. Removed core support, and then did a rough fitting of the W203 type fan that @Dave2302 recommended. Put everything together as a cooling "module" as it would be called on a newer car. And test fit everything. Need to fab up brackets, and reassemble this weekend. Looks like it will still be very tight at the engine, with maybe 3/4" clearance from the pulleys. I'll grab pics tomorrow.
Started working with the W203 Fan. After cutting off the unwanted bits, and using some aluminum strap and a metal brake, four brackets were made, and riveted on.
Next, plates were cut, and holes drilled in the lower core support, stainless nutserts installed, here's what it looked like prior to welding and general cleanup:
Weld through primer was applied to all of the bare metal. After this, the entire cooling module was assembled, and then positioned in the car. Lots of fiddling with final positioning, and once satisfied, alignment marks were made, and the whole assembly was removed.
The brackets were then welded in, and at this point, called it a night. Work will not continue until Tuesday evening.
Left to do are the upper core support brackets, wiring, plumbing of the upper radiator hose, shield for upper radiator hose, and oil cooler AN hoses have to be made. The split cooling (VRP Performance) coolant bottle will now go right behind the left side headlamp.
All this, then back to addressing transmission issues...
06 September 2021 Did quite a bit of work today, but the work didn't warrant a lot of pics. Ok, I just didn't get any.
Reassembled the cooling module, and got it bolted in. Fabricated upper mounts, securing it in. Set about modifying the intercooler pump mounts and plumbing for them, and also mounted the split cooling reservoir on a new bracket behind the driver's side headlamp. Built a temporary upper radiator hose.
Next, fabricated the oil cooler lines, and secured them in place. Bolted the horns back down, adjusted for clearance on the oil cooler. Bent the power steering cooler line for similar clearance.
The upper radiator hose is not going to work long term, it hits the fan assembly and pinches. I will acquire an aluminum pipe bend, and modify the thermostat housing, welding this on, which should put the pipe right in front of the power steering pump reservoir. Making this a hard pipe will eliminate the chance that the hose will rub on the fan.
So that leads to the misadventure of the day. The fan. Went to go wire up the fan, and the control wire colors did not line up with the Crossfire. Did some research and determined that the black/white wire on the fan is +12v ignition, and the green/blue wire is the PWM control. Disconnecting the PWM wire will force the fan to run 100%. Wired this all up, and resulted in a non running fan.
After much testing and frustration, I grabbed the spare fan I just got at the yard this past weekend, and plugged it in, dangling underneath the car. It fired right up and ran properly. The one in the car is apparently dead.
This now leads to the next project. The upper radiator core support is welded in place, and blocks access and maintenance of the cooling module from the top. Changing the fan would require disconnecting everything, draining everything, dropping the cooling module out of the bottom of the car, and starting over. I do not want to do this.
I cut a complete upper core support out of a junkyard vehicle. The plan is to cut the center section out of the Crossfire's core support, and then overlay this new one over the top, and have it bolt down one each side, right near the headlamp buckets. I didn't plan to do this project right away, but the current situation makes it somewhat of a necessity.
08 September 2021 Productive evening. Set about beginning to fix three major items. First, the fan must be replaced. Second, the upper radiator hose is awful. Need to figure out something better. Third, cannot repair the first two without addressing the upper radiator core support, or as @Dave2302 likes to call it, the slam panel.
Here's how things looked going into it:
The first item on the agenda was to grab the donor core support and cut off any piece of metal not part of the main horizontal. Ie, the vertical parts running to the headlamp buckets.
Once this was done, it was time to section out the center portion of the car's core support.
Next, roughing in of the new panel
And finally, finish metal work, lining it all up, and drilling the 6, (well 5, actually*) mounting holes.
I used stainless steel nutserts, and stainless screws.
So I said 5 holes, and while 6 were drilled in the car, the front right hole was there in the black panel from drilling out the spot weld to the headlamp bucket. Unfortunately, it didn't quite line up, and instead had to be elongated.
I'm not too happy with that, but also not sure how I want to fix it.
Next will be the other fix items on the list, and then reassembly. After getting the cooling system worked out, hopefully it will be time to drive it again.
p.s. - I do plan to paint the new panel the correct sapphire silver blue, soon.
11 September 2021 Spent about 90 minutes on the project tonight. Replaced the lower radiator hose with a new one, as it was trimmed before relocating the cooling module, because the engine was closer to the radiator, making the hose too long. Now it was stretched to reach. Was a disaster waiting to happen.
Next, removed the M113K thermostat housing, and cut off the last 1.5" of it. Reworked the upper radiator hose to closely hug the front of the engine. Hopefully this will clear the fan better. Long term, it will still need aluminum hard pipe welded to it.
Next the 'guts' of the fan were swapped with the good fan. Had to stop there, but will pick it up again tomorrow evening or Saturday.
12 September 2021 Ok! Buttoned everything up this morning, finished a few side projects, put the bumper back on. It was time for a test ride!
Drove a few miles barely breathing on the accelerator, followed by some 3-4 second bursts of WOT. WOW!
Downshifts at WOT are nearly violent (yes!), and the car lurches forward, but so smoothly at the same time. Very controllable so far.
Drove about 15 miles, and made.aure thing we're doing OK, tried slightly longer bursts from 45-50 mph for 5-6 seconds. Car felt great!
Decided to try out 'W' mode on the shifter, and yes, shifts were smoother. Went WOT, all was good, until I let off. Engine returned to idle, and stepping on the accelerator gave a free rev to 5k. Uh oh. Autostick would not come out of D.
Slowed down to nearly a stop, and could feel the transmission reengage. Drove perfectly normally, and Autostick function also returned. Do not know what the story is there. Going to put it on the Xentry here in a bit. No CELs.
So far, a much better start than the last go around.
Oh, and A/C blew cold, engine temp was right down the middle, and cruise control worked perfectly.
Going to tidy up a few things, and give the car a bath, and will post more. Will be immediately onto the next project - SLK55 seats.
(Later on that same day) I did drive it another 35 miles, but each time I went to get on it, either there was too much water on the road (lots of rain today), or when I did find a safe spot to try it, I had a particularly loud voice coming from the passenger seat (Donna) yelling at me to STOP IT!
What I did note is that so long as I stay off the kickdown switch, the whole thing runs like a champ. I will be driving it to work this whole week (62 miles/day), and probably every day until the end of the month, really. Need to get miles on it before the October Crossfires at the Dragon event, about 450miles to the north. Goal is ZERO issues during this ~1200 mile weekend.
This afternoon, the rain came down hard, so while I had my son finishing off the remaining pieces of the carcass that used to be a 2005 SRT6 (preparing it for the crusher late this week), I attempted to swap in the SLK55 R171 seats I recently picked up. I knew I would not be using any of the fancy computers to run the seats, as fitting them into this car, without a CAN-B bus was going to be a bit impractical. My plan instead was to simply swap over the R170 wiring, and then I have some tricks up my sleeve for the Airscarf portion. The electrical bits are the easy part for me.
The good news is that the seats appear that they will simply bolt into the R170. Perfect. Wiring looks straightforward enough. Good. Problem is the trim panel on the side of the seats that the buttons go through. The R171 button panel is not going to work at all, and the R170 plastic trim will not fit the seat at all (mounts completely differently). My next plan will involve a lot of plastic surgery on the panels to cover over the holes for the R171 buttons, but then section out the button panel of the R170 seats, and meld them together - without it looking like some horrible hack job. I decided to put the R170 seat back together, and put it back in the car for now. I have a few other sets of R170 seats, and I will pull a set down to become the donors for this trim panel. Once I get past that, the wiring should take only a couple of hours, and in they will go.
I've read from people on the SLKWorld forum complain to no end about the R171 seats. After sitting in the R170 seats for quite a while, and the "test sits" I have had in the R171 seats on the ground, they seem heavenly.
After that project is complete, I will revisit the fuel rail. I am completely unhappy with mine. The low pressure area around #8 is completely unsatisfactory, and I am amazed the MB engineers let this design go. I imagine all of the M113's suffer on #8, and certainly the M112k must have trouble with #6, as it is an almost identical design. I will add the -6AN fittings to the ends of the "U", just like I have on the current one, but will add a new feed point at the rear center of the rail, hopefully eliminating this spot where low pressure happens at #8. I am also planning on re-powder coating the intake plenums. I thought I'd like the teal color, but the more I see it, the more I do not like it in this car. Just not working with the sapphire silver blue (SSB) paint. Thinking a wrinkle finish with either red or blue, but I am open to suggestions.
After this, I have more exhaust work to do. I am getting a horrible echo effect out of the hollowed out cats (the front ones were crushed/broken in the SRT6 wreck). Will be better off with straight pipes in their place.
13 September 2021 So, I drove the car without a passenger for the first time this morning. Let's just say the commute was rather fun! The car is a rocket ship! I have owned many fast cars over the years, and some were technically more powerful than this one, but the sheer ease at which this car handles the power makes it comfortable enough that I could let someone less experienced drive it, without fear that they'd put it into a ditch immediately. Tracks very straight, very little drama, aside from the roar coming through the cabin when that engine decides to light off.
I did hear an unexpected alarm today. While moving from about 25mph to extra-legal speeds, I heard a nagging beeping from the dash. I slowed down and couldn't figure it out, so I blasted back up into the triple digits - heard it again! Grrr...
I think I figured it out. It's the spoiler deploy alarm. If the spoiler is not up by 90MPH, then the aero of the car is upset, so the alarm will sound. It deploys the spoiler at 65mph. In other words, the wing is not extended in the time it begins to deploy at 65 to the time the car is over 90! It accelerates that quickly! I'm now going to use that beeping as a 'gauge' in the car, to know if all is well!
19 September 2021
Some shop organizing happened today. It will take a fair bit to get the shop back to a presentable state. The old M112 and transmission still runs, and will fill a gap for someone out there, so we plugged all the holes, and pressure washed it. Dried it real well, oiled down the cylinders, photographed it, and then put it aside for now. The boy went on to install a MB V8 throttle body (74mm?) and airbox on his car. Modding, instead of repairing made him happy.
I turned back to the other car for a bit. Mainly worked on the SLK55 seat project. Since I have no intention of using the memory seat function, nor will I run Airscarf the way the factory had it, I decided the more basic 8-way switch functions of the R170 will do just fine. Since the buttons on the R171 are a module, and laid out differently, I needed to get "innovative" with all the plastic. Translation: I cut the button panel out of a R170 in a semi-rectangular shape, and am splicing that into the side panel of the R171 seat. Since no one wants to watch sausage being made, I will hold off on any grotesque pictures of the Frankensteining of this arrangement, and put up pics when the panels are done mid-week. Not my most proud work, but it will do.
Next weekend will bring two more exciting projects to the 04 Crossfire. First, I plan to install a pair of 4-pot/345mm SLK55 front brakes. Everything I have read says that this portion is a bolt in. Searching part numbers seems to show that the SLK55 used the same rear brakes as the SRT-6/SLK32 AMG, which I already have on the car. The wildcard though is the master cylinder. If part lookups are to be trusted, the SLK32 AMG uses a 1" bore master cylinder. The SLK55 uses a 1.812" bore master cylinder. I am concerned about fluid volume for the SLK55 brakes. The parts places list the SLK55 MC for over US$300. I found the same Raybestos part number, new on eBay for $65 shipped. I have one coming. I am debating on using it, though. My next concern is that the ABS module will not handle it all properly, even though it is the same unit for SLK32 and SLK32 AMG (with a huge difference in caliper/rotor sizes). Of course the 2004 ABS module is different from a 2005, so no direct plugging in. Perhaps I should be looking at various C-class modules? Certain C-class cars use the same brakes as the SLK55. Of course all of the dynamic proportioning will be off from the SLK platform. Perhaps I am over-thinking this, too.
The second project will be to install a Kincaid Performance "Killer Chiller" into the car. This system, for those who don't know, takes the intercooler coolant, and runs it through a self contained box that also has in it an A/C evaporator core. Running off of the car's A/C system, in parallel with the in-cabin evaporator core, this system will chill the intercooler coolant substantially more than the water to air heat exchanger can. As a result, charge temperatures will drop, lowering the chance for engine damaging detonation, and also providing a more dense air charge, which means more power. It's a good thing, too. I was about to get bored with the 500hp it was already making!
So, Kincaid is recommending against putting the Killer Chiller (KC) in series with the original heat exchanger, as the heat exchanger will actually pick up ambient heat, and reduce the overall system efficiency. However, if the A/C is not running, then the KC doesn't do its job. I do live in FL, and run the A/C probably 90% of the time. Their solution is to put an electric 3 way valve into the loop, thereby selecting the KC or the original heat exchanger. They recommend just eliminating the heat exchanger, however. For the time being, that is what I will do, and I will assess whether or not this is an actual problem, before ponying up the extra cash to buy the electric valve components. This will also free up both room and airflow in the front of the car.
The KC folks also recommend a water tank to increase the intercooler coolant capacity of the system. This gives a 'reserve' so to speak of chilled coolant. In actuality, it just gives the system more thermal mass. That's a good thing. They recommend 1 gallon for this system. In the pics from the link, you can see that there is a tank mounted in front of the bumper beam. This is OK, except if you have a wreck, in which case, the overall damage increases. I don't like that.
I am currently also running an FCP Euro split cooling setup, which just isolates the intercooler coolant from the main engine coolant. I decided to just put a 1 gallon plastic tank behind the left headlamp, and have it serve both as a reserve and the fill location. Using a RCI Racing 1010D model tank, and adding a few fittings to it, I think I will have a winner. This area of my car is now open, due to no SAI air pump or fan PWM controller. I'll bend up some nice aluminum brackets, and secure the tank. The KC will fit just under the tank, along the frame rail. I think this will make for nice, neat packaging, that will be functional. It's good to have a plan. And a dream. We'll see how it works out.
23 September 2021 The RCI Racing tank arrived yesterday, but none of the fittings have. In addition, there is no tracking number on the Killer Chiller as of now. That being said, it is highly doubtful that the KC setup will be in the car in time for the Tail of the Dragon Crossfire meet next weekend. *sigh*
Work did begin on fitting the SLK55 brakes. I ran into problems, right off the bat. First off, the retaining hole for the rotor to the hub is mirrored from the earlier car's hub. In other words, if the rotor retaining bolt is to the right of the wheel bolt hole on the R170 (Crossfire), it is to the left on the SLK55. As I type this on my lunch break at work, I am hoping I am not about to feel stupid about the rest of what I am about to say, because it is somewhat growing in my head that in reality there is a left and right rotor with swapped holes, and therefore none of the rest of this was even necessary. I think I'm correct, so I will boldly lay out the rest of my stupidity. QuadPrism was around to witness some of this. I suspect he is about to have a good laugh at my expense. [img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img]
So, in typical fashion of not having enough time, rest or patience going into such a project, I started by centering a punch mark on where the hole should be on the R170 hub for the R171 rotor. I drilled a pilot hole, and then did not like its centering with the rotor put on.
I rotated the hub.
The a new location was marked for a hole, and drilled. Most of the way through tapping for threads, the tap broke off! After spending 30 minutes hopelessly attempting to remove it, the tap was abandoned in the hub, and ground flat with the hub surface.
I rotated the hub.
I drilled a new hole, counter sunk it, tapped it. Put the rotor up to mount it, saw that it was perfectly centered. Awesome. Got the rotor retention bolt, and it slipped in. Not threaded in. Slipped in. Good grief, what have I done?
*sigh*
I picked up the wrong bolt when determining tap size, and therefore drilled and tapped too big of a hole.
I did not rotate the hub.
Grabbing a used hub from the parts SRT-6 (which has since been crushed, BTW), I much more carefully marked a hole, drilled the correct size, countersunk the correct size, and tapped the correct size. I didn't even break a tap off this time. The rotor mounted up without issue. A test fit of the caliper showed that it bolts right on, and the Goodridge stainless steel line (for an R170) fits in the caliper properly. The wheel won't clear the caliper. A spacer is needed. Out of time for the evening, I left everything as-is, and will attack the right side tonight. I believe as little as a 3mm spacer might do the trick. I think I have a pair of 5mm spacers on hand. I'm a little concerned about losing space on the hub for centering the wheel, but will check to see if this is an actual problem before getting too excited about it.
My next concern is the master cylinder. The SLK55 master cylinder will be here tomorrow. From the earlier post, it appears that while they look identical on the outside, the R170 uses a 1.000" bore piston, and the SLK55 (and all later R171 and R172) uses a 1.812" piston. The SLK55 uses these 4-pot front calipers, and the same 2-pot rear calipers that the AMG R170 uses. So, the conundrum is whether to stick with the R170 MC, or switch over to the SLK55 MC, not knowing what the effect on the ABS proportioning might be. Anyone have any experience or opinions?
Also tonight, work will continue on the switch panels for the SLK55 seats. The R170 switches have been successfully grafted in, and now the final sanding and painting of the panels needs to happen. The seats should go in tomorrow or Saturday.
26 September 2021
Very busy weekend. First off, got the SLK55 4-pot front brakes installed. Here's what I started with, the SRT-6/SLK32 AMG brakes:
Here's a view of the two calipers. The 4-pot caliper uses a smaller brake pad. Added EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads while everything was apart.
Drilled the new offset rotor retention bolt in both hubs. Here's a view of the difference between the R171 and R170 retention bolt locations:
As an engineer myself, this kind of stuff aggravates me. After this, the caliper and bracket bolt onto the car. Brake line fits. Only needed to eliminate the pad wear sensor cable, as there is no spot for it on these calipers. Other than that rotor retention bolt hole, the entire thing bolts together.
Here's what it looks like installed.
A 5mm wheel spacer was required to clear the SRT-6 wheel. This, combined with the thicker rotor mounting hat combines to about 6-7mm. This presents a new problem, in that the stock lug bolts now only have about 5mm of engagement. Ordered 10mm longer lug bolts, which arrive Monday.
Moved onto a host of smaller projects, including some underhood cosmetics. The plenums were painted black, the upper radiator support was removed, sand blasted, and painted (awaiting reinstall). More importantly, the SLK55 seats were completed. I will describe these in detail in the next day or two, but suffice it to say, they're way nicer than the stock Crossfire seats! Everything is working on them, except Airscarf, which I have plans for over the winter. I need the mating electrical connectors for those, if anyone out there might have them.
27 September 2021 I did not get a ton done on the car today, so no pics, yet. Lug bolts did not show up (grrrrr). Reassembled the upper core support, and installed a new fuel rail, welded by someone who can legitimately call themselves a welder. This one has a variation from the last that the fuel feed is now a -6AN at the center rear on the rail. Hopefully this will even out distribution of fuel, and eliminate the low pressure spot at #8. The new feed line needs to be built, and I'll get to that tomorrow. After that, just a few button up items under the hood, and wait another day for lug bolts.
After this, I am looking to freeze progress, and turn towards a good detailing and trip preparation. Almost 500 miles to go on Friday!
28 September 2021
Stalking the FedEx folks at this point. Looks like my longer lug bolts are loaded on a truck in Pensacola, FL, and out for delivery by 4:30PM today. I keep reloading the tracking page anyway. Feel a bit neurotic. Do you stalk your FedEx/UPS/USPS/DHL drivers?
This evening, if all goes to plan, the following will happen:
1. Wheels will finally be bolted back on
2. Belly pan will have one more mod made to it for fitment, and be reattached
3. New fuel feed line will be installed, with a comprehensive fuel system leak check performed
4. Intake tract reassembled
5. On the ground, ready for some miles again!
Left to do before heading out for the Dragon at the end of the week will be all the usual car trip preparations (clean, check things over, clean, load tools/spares/luggage, clean), but will also be adding in a Midland GMRS radio for comms during the event itself.
Yes, I am pre-occupied, waiting for the FedEx guy.
28 September 2021 Finished the fuel lines, and a few other nagging things with the engine this afternoon. Belly pan installed, and FedEx finally showed up with the 50mm lug bolts. Here's how things were looking: The plan had been to paint the upper core support SSB toatch the car, but my son noticed that the bordering of the edges lined up with the lines of the car and of the engine, and looked sharper in black, so he spent the time blasting the panel, and for now it is rattle canned black. If I decide to stick with it, I'll strip it and paint it properly later. Running out of time for now.
Up close look at the new center rear fuel feed for the rail. Got to take the first ride with the new seats, and boy are they better than the stock seats! If you look closely you'll see that the R171 memory buttons were removed, and the Crossfire controls were grafted in. They work!
The test drive revealed a new, but not surprising problem. With the very short hub flange up front, and the 5mm spacer, the wheel is having a hard time getting centered. This led to a lot of vibration at speed. I have had this happen before on another car, so brought it in, and loosened the wheel, retorquing in a very systematic way. It should help, but won't solve the problem.
Have any of you found a hub centric ring that will either grab that sliver of hub at the spacer, or perhaps a hub centric ring that can ride on the bearing cup cover?
29 September 2021
So, lots of changes made in the last week, and today was the first shake down ride, which was simply a 31 mile commute to work. The seats sit just a little higher than the R170 Crossfire seats. This results in a slightly different seating angle. It was enough that lots of fiddling with the seat adjustments and the rear view mirror occurred. Think it is settled out, now, and I am nested Seems that the more high performance you make any car, the more finnicky all of the adjustments become. At 5'8", I'm not a tall person. My 6'3" son loves the seats, but he finds that they leave him quite a bit less room to fit in versus the stock seats. They sure are comfortable, though. I've had people tell me the R172 seats are even better. Hmmmm.....
During the drive this morning, everything did well, except for the hub centering. This presents itself as a tire shake, that feels like an unbalanced tire. It comes and goes at different speeds. This tells me that torqueing the bolts down in a pattern of small changes, allowing each bolt to find its center in the hole does help, but there's no replacement for the hub doing its job centering the wheel. This being said, it's impractical to drive the car 1200 miles this coming weekend with this issue. Tonight, it will be back to the SRT-6 front brakes.
Last night, the bed down procedures for the EBC Yellow Stuff Brake Pads in the SLK55 4-pot brakes was completed. They grab! In true apples to apples comparison, I have the equivalent Yellow Stuff pads in the SRT-6 brakes, and while the pads in the SRT-6 brakes are much larger, they do not bite down like the 4-pot calipers on the larger rotor do. I am looking forward to putting these back on the car!
So how to do it? The current setup uses a 5mm spacer so that the wheel will clear the outboard edge of the caliper. It relies on the hub being wide enough to accommodate the thicker SLK55 rotor, the 5mm spacer and still mount the wheel. We now know for certain that there's not enough hub to do that. So, the solutions could come in a few forms:
1. Machine down the offending ridge on the outboard side of the caliper. Would work, but now there would be a custom part in the car that cannot be replaced at the roadside, if there is an issue.
2. Find a different hub that has a wider hub portion. This is my preferred solution, but I do not know if, say a SLK55 hub, would do that. Dimensions are needed, if anyone has a hub around. This would have the side benefit of solving the rotor retention bolt issue.
3. Use a hub centric spacer with it's own hub flange. These are a dime a dozen, so why not use these? The required spacing is 5mm. There's not a practical way to add an attached hub surface to this thin of a spacer, as there is still a few millimeters of hub left. In other words, since there is hub material in the way, a spacer cannot have it's own hub surface in the same spot. Pics would help, but I don't have any except what you can see in this view:
If you look closely, you can see the steel hub material poking out from the spacer. There's not enough meat here to grab the wheel, but also too much for a spacer with its own hub surface to fit over.
So, the thinnest spacer found with a hub flange is 10mm, so far. Amazon has these MB specific spacers, and so I ordered a pair:
Now, 10mm is really too thick, and will present me with other fitment challenges. Preliminary estimate is that to clear the original hub and function as a spacer would be about 7-8mm. That seems like splitting hairs, but the idea is to reduce the wheel spacing as much as is possible. Measurements and a drawing will be made tonight of all the pertinent dimensions before brake removal this evening. The plan will be to take these spacers, and turn them on a lathe to thin up the spaced surface just a bit. Depending on metal thickness, it may also be possible to run a lathe up inside these, thinning the material up near the hub extension, and may be able to gain another 1-2mm. Doing that might reduce the need for the spacing thickness further, getting total thickness in the 5-7mm region again. That's optimistic, and the answer will not be clear until the hubs arrive sometime in the next 2 weeks.
Parts are on order to work with Option #3, but Option #2 is truly the better one. There doesn't seem to be a practical way to completely eliminate the spacer, but having to go to a thicker one to solve the hub center issue is like a bandaid on top of a bandaid to me. Several people have PM'd me here and on other forums (where this thread is being paralleled) to say that they have swapped these same brakes on their SLKs, Crossfires, and a few other vehicles. If you have solved this problem a different way, please shoot me a PM.
Due to time constraints tonight, there won't be much more than swapping the SRT-6 brakes back on. Tomorrow more miles will be put on. In all, there should be 150 miles further on the car before leaving Friday, bringing the total up to around 900 miles on the whole M113K setup. Not a ton for any setup, but hopefully enough to shake out the major bugs.
Missing from the formula for the Dragon event this weekend will be the Killer Chiller. After speaking with Kincaid Performance about it, we thought a system would be here in time to install before the event, but that just didn't happen. This will just added to the list of winter projects for the car. After the KC, attention will shift towards instrumentation and the interior. Some exciting stuff is going to happen there!
01 October 2021
And we're off! About 200 miles into what should be about a 12-1300 mile weekend. Car is running well. Oil level light came on, so we pulled over right away. Oil level is right where it was when I checked it last night. Light went out, but now is coming and going. Guessing the sensor is going bad. Hope that is the worst casualty of the weekend.
(Later that same day)
We're are here at Fontana Village with the group. Everything went well today, and the car performed beautifully. So far, it is everything I hoped it would be when I set out to build it!
04 October 2021 OK, back from just about 1250 miles of absolutely thrashing the car. What a blast! Car ran like a top, and I was anything but kind to it. The engine just sings when way up high, and as hard as this might be to understand, everything seems to feel alive and happy when running 10/10 at 4k+. The transmission shifts at 6700, and it feels like it would keep right on going (I like the rods where they are, though).
If you ever get a chance to travel to an event surrounding Tail of the Dragon/US129, the Cherohala Skyway, or any of the other incredible driving roads in this area of Tennessee, North Carolina and norther Georgia, DO IT! I have had the privilege of driving on roads all of the US, Alaska and many parts of Europe. While there are challenging roads, beautiful roads, and wonderful scenery in so many places, so few have all of it packaged together. So few areas have made their roads a tourism attraction all their own. The Crossfire event is run twice a year. Once in the spring, and again in the fall on the first weekend of October. Get in your car, and make plans. The Crossfire folks are some of the kindest and most welcoming "car guys" I have ever attended an event with. Cannot possibly say enough good things about them. Check the Crossfire Forums in the event section HERE to get info, and get your reservations in early. DO IT! You'll be glad you did.
At the event, the car became a point of a lot of discussion. More than one person commented that the M113K was too much engine for the car. They're not completely wrong, but they're also wrong. I did find the car to be much more of a handful to get through the corners than the 3.2L normally aspirated (N/A) guys did. The power comes on like a hammer, and is often hard to modulate, unless one is willing to leave it in a lower gear, and keep the RPMs up very high for many miles at a time (I wasn't). This resulted in a need for strategy to plan for wide open throttle (WOT) downshifts, and the resulting tire spin/back end boogie. The resulting speed that came was in place just about the time it was necessary to get back on the brakes to setup for the next corner. The corner was always met with the front end diving and then aiming for the outside of the corner (understeer). Front brakes (SRT-6) were definitely tasked out. Rears felt OK, but never even approached lockup, so more could probably happen there, too. Despite all of that, the feeling of what capabilities are on tap, the sound, the smoothness, the whole package. Words cannot describe it all. If you have ever ridden in a E/S/CL/whatever-55 AMG, you understand the feeling. Now put that into something more than 1000# lighter, mix them together, now you've got a slightly better idea of what you're dealing with. Not everyone's cup of tea, but if that sounds even a little appealing to you, track me down at an event, we'll go for a ride!
I have a lot of experience with mountain driving, having lived in the Rockies for many years. The roads there are sometimes great, sometimes rough, but always challenging, no matter what you are driving. However, this car was all new to me, and it is a handful. To that end, a few adjustments are in order.
First and foremost, tires. The car is running decent tires (Continental rebrands) that were purchased when this car was only a N/A Limited. Time to step those up. I talked tires a long time with the 'faster' folks at the event, and most like Hankook for these cars. Most wanted a 235 tire up front, and a 285 in the rear. I currently have a 225 up front and a 255 in the rear.
Second, brakes. The spacers and lug stud conversion have shown up for the SLK55 brakes. These will be put on, but even they will be a stop gap until a set of 360mm/6-pot brakes can be sourced. Probably should consider the 4-pot rear brakes, if a set can be found.
Third, springs. Currently, there are SRT-6 springs on the front of the car. With the N/A engine, the front end sat sky high. With this engine, it sits like it is an SRT-6 on lowering spring. They're too soft for this setup, and probably the primary contributor to the understeer and extreme dive in the corners. In any case, with corner weight data in hand, consultation with some spring manufacturers for slightly stiffer springs is in order. The next concern will be that the Bilstein B6 front shocks are going to have issues. Not looking for race suspension and the associated harsh ride, so will need to think about B8's or something equivalent to give a good mix of handling and comfort. Stress on that second part - this is still my Wife's (Donna) car. She doesn't want a race car ride, either.
Fourth, LSD. Not that kind. This winter work must commence on the HAG215 project, and the Wavetrac limited slip differential. It looks like the code has been cracked on how to get that larger differential in there, but no one will know for sure, until it is done.
Fifth, exhaust. The only other problem that crept up on this trip was an exhaust leak that needs to be tracked down and killed with extreme prejudice. Nothing like making your hard work sound like a jalopy!
Some parting notes.
The SLK55 seats kept you absolutely planted. No sliding around, excellent support, and very comfortable. Driving position for my 5'8" frame was perfect. My 17 year-old, 6'3" son drove the Tail of the Dragon in this car (Yeah, I deserve a medal for that one!), and he could not fit in the seats properly for this type of driving. They sit a little taller than the Crossfire seats, and he had visibility problems, especially with right hand ascending turns. If you're an average size person like me, you'll love them. If you are already having trouble fitting in a Crossfire/SLK(R170) then you will hate them.
I have built more hot rods in my time than I can count. While high strung four cylinder turbocharged engines are my passion, I have had more than my fair share of hot V8s. I have never experienced an engine like the M113K. This particular one was a virtually unknown engine, with only assurances from the seller that "it ran fine when pulled". What is known is that it sat out of the car for over a year, under a tarp in the hot, humid air of central Georgia. The only work done to the basic engine is the work that you see in this thread (fluids, gaskets, water pump, etc). Most of that was normal, preventative work. The engine never got hot, did not burn a drop of oil, and the oil now looks just about as clean as when it went into the engine 800 miles before this thrash of a trip. No one could ask for anything more from it.
My original intention was to end this thread, right about here. The driveline is in the car, runs and drives well, and looks complete.
However, after thinking about it, there is more to add to this thread. The swap is not complete until the entire package of what it takes to put a M113K into a Crossfire/R170 and take this back to a well balanced, sorted car is complete. Sure, it's fast. It's comfortable, the project could end right here. However, this swap should perform as if the car had come from AMG. Power-wise, it does. Handling still leaves some to be desired. Long term durability of the rear end is in doubt. Until these items are fully addressed, I do not consider this a completed project.
In the meantime, I'd like to thank everyone who has read along on this journey. It may seem like it just started to the casual observer, but it required hundreds of hours of work, long nights, and little sleep in a few places. There was general anxiety about many things, including the aforementioned junkyard engine, electronics, cooling system, fuel leaks, incompatible parts, and so many other details. I am hoping someone out there will read all of this, feel inspired and empowered to make their own M113/M113K swap a reality. I'd also like to thank the many people who offered advice and experience, both in the thread and via PM's. You know who you are.
I'd like to thank my son, William, for all his help along the way. Most of all, Donna, who declined issuing a missing persons report, or just finding a replacement husband. I'm coming in from the shop, now, Dear.
07 October 2021 Hub spacers referenced above have arrived. Also, 78mm lug stud conversion kit from Motorsport Hardware also arrived. Will try to get out into the shop this evening, and do a test fit, and if successful, the 4-pot brakes will go back on. Now that I know they exist, really want to jump all the way up to the 360mm/6-pot fronts and 330mm vented disc 4-pot rears. That combo would probably solve the braking issues for tight courses.
The front springs are the next challenge. Not sure any of the off the shelf solutions will work. Has anyone had a custom OEM-type spring made for them? I'd love to hear about your experience. I have gone for custom coil over springs, but those are generally standard 2.5" type springs, and almost off the shelf.
Once these two items are on their way, the next challenge will be to bring a past project for this car back to the front burner. Last winter, I began work on a modernized LCD instrument cluster conversion. A Crossfire cluster was victimized for this, but what I can tell you is that it is working on the bench. I can pull off the CAN bus messages, and anything else that is missing from the CAN bus is added in through an Arduino (Teensy) board that I designed and had made (I'm a nerdy engineer). The software I am running is called RealDash, and thanks to Crossfire Forum member rbracy10406 , it is off the ground. The software runs on Android, and the bulk of the people running it put it on their Android head unit, or add a tablet. Way too basic for me! Once complete, the solution will be seamless, and appear OEM, which is the effect I am after. I will try to dig up some pics of it (it's *ugly* right now), but I am at work, and without the pics for now. This is kind of a cold-weather type of a project, so it was shelved since about March. I'll get back on it fairly soon. If you have worked with RealDash, or something similar, PM me. I'd love to trade stories, ideas, etc.
So why post about this here? Much like the points I made above about closing the loop on the package, this is another part. The RealDash conversion is not just about some fancy looking toy in the car. Actually, the dash will be able to convey a lot more information to the driver than the stock one can. For example, already integrated and working are the following extra sensors: Wideband O2, oil pressure, fuel pressure, intake air temperature, intercooler coolant temperature, and I may had a fuel temperature/ethanol content sensor (debating on this one). The best part about this is that there will be no external gauges, gauge pods, or any other ugly add-ons. Well, save one. Part of this will be eliminating the steering wheel, and replacing with a W205 wheel (already in hand), like this one:
I have three of these (with minor styling variations) in hand already. Work has already begun on communicating with it (it uses LIN Bus). Work on this latter part would be accelerated by spending a day with a similarly equipped car and some test equipment, so that it coming. One neat thing in this addition will be the paddle shifters. Yes! The TCU in the car has this option enabled, and this will close that loop, once complete. The other buttons in the wheel for controlling the radio will be able to talk to the double DIN Android head unit already onboard, and the other buttons will control the dash, pretty similarly to the original intent in the car the wheel came from. Hoping that this will be a slick addition to the car. For the curious, the airbag situation has already been sorted, based on experience from users in other MB platforms.
The RealDash will likely deploy into the car before the steering wheel, and the steering wheel will complement it later. The more mechanical projects that are still out there (brakes, suspension, tires, Killer Chiller, etc) will come before these, but I wanted to give a peek into what is up and coming. Always on the move!
p.s.-I already have a plan for the logo on the steering wheel. I am open to comments or suggestions, but the Mercedes star is not going to be part of this one!
09 October 2021
Meant to update this earlier, but got busy. Back into the shop for a couple of hours on Thursday. First order of business was the exhaust leak. It turned out to be a bolt in the left side exhaust joint where the downpipe joins the rear exhaust section had vibrated out, leaving the joint loose enough to flop around. Replaced the hardware, and tightened everything up, fixed that issue. Fixed a few other minor things that rattled apart on the Dragon trip.
After that, sights turned to the brakes. The spacers and the studs arrived. First, the spacer has a large hub centering area. I thought about a standard hub centric spacer, and honestly, that would be fine, but I wanted to be sure that the wheel would really center. Putting it into the wheel showed that the wheel had a bit of rust and some burrs keeping it from fitting. Some quick work with a sanding roll on a Dremel made for a good but still tight fit.
Next, a test fit of the studs happened. These are the 78mm versions. Putting the spacer onto the existing brake setup, and test fitting the wheel showed the stud protruding about 2mm too far, and the SRT6 center cap would not fit on. Some quick work on the grinder took care of that.
And on the car:
Once the studs were all Loctited in, the spacer was put on fitting nicely over the hub.
A quick test drive showed it all centered nicely, and bedding the brakes back down resulted in definitely more stopping power over the SRT6 brakes. Pleased that this part is finally finished. For now.
19 October 2021
Small update. The car has been pressed into a daily driving role for me for a little bit. Our other Crossfire was involved in a (ahem) small off-road excursion, and now needs some body work. That means my daily driver SRT-4 is now being driven by the offending Crossfire pilot, until we figure out what to do about repairs/replacement.
The car drives well, but it always seems eager to show everyone its tail lights. Not sure this is a safe daily driver
Ordered a set of Continental Extreme Contact Sports, with stock front size, and 285/30/19 in the rear. Should solve at least some of the grip issues with that extra 30mm, and no doubt stickier compound. These will wait until a set of SE wheels are acquired, or more likely a set of SRT-6 wheels are refinished. Currently have three sets of 'extra' SRT-6 wheels sitting in the shop, so just need to send some out for refinishing.
During our TotD trip, the oil level light came on. Despite the level being perfectly in the middle on the dipstick, the light was on, and stayed on. Lately it has been coming and going. Last night I added a little oil, to bring it to the very top of the range on the dipstick. Light went out and has stayed out after 50 miles of driving so far today. So, maybe the sensor isn't broken. That's also a bit worrying as to the accuracy of the dipstick. There is an adjustment for this level for the sensor within SDS, so that may need to be looked at. The oil in the engine will be changed at 3k miles, which should arrive in the next 2-3 weeks. More careful notes of the amounts going into the engine will also be made, and then we'll see what the story is with the settings in SDS.
Just to note on your understeer. While it's never going to be great, Widening the rear's while keeping the front the same will make it worse. Also, stiffer front springs will make it worse as well.
No doubt, but it is really just a bit of a mess up front, as it is right now. It needs more spring stiffness, but probably not any additional sway bar stiffness. The rear tires are 285, fronts are 245. A Wavetrac is in the works, which should do more than help straight line performance. I do not want to turn this car into an ultimate handling machine, just needs to be much more neutral than it is right now. My fear is that I could clean up most of the gross handling deficiencies, but to get the car to its top potential (which will always be limited by the corner weights and the short wheelbase), it would become uncomfortable, and more work than pleasure to drive. Right now, the car is a hoot, but you can certainly feel that the front end is not giving the driver a ton of confidence.
p.s.- There are several newer updates on this project, but I have not managed to get them over to MBWorld. I will do that later today.
10-08-2021, 08:21 AM
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Tomorrow the intercooler plumbing will be completed, along with all of the upper radiator plumbing, and then moving on to the wiring. At that point the car should be ready to start, save one item. The oil cooler lines. Those are -10 AN, but the vendor shipped -6 line along with all of the shiny new -10 fittings. Looks like we will be waiting a little longer to fire this thing up.
