The GTR Brothers' Merc 250 C - Swapping Out for a... Turbo 4?

[Grandea GTR]

So a few days ago, we got a deal on a '72 250 C, all stock with the original 2.5L I6 mated to an Automatic Transmission.

So far, the only thing I know about this car is that the sunroof leaks (figured that out while washing it, so for now I applied a thick layer of duct tape.

My brothers and I planned to swap out the engine for something more fuel efficient (we also found out that this car, when the super heavy I6 is taken out, will end up being as light as a 240SX. Huh.)

I'm in class right now, but when I get back I'll take some more pictures.

 

[Doog]

Please don't go crazy and resto-mod it. Part of the appeal of these old bulletproof Mercs is that you can take them to work a couple times a work without issue, and fixing the whole thing up would just make it too nice to use regularly. Are you thinking of going with another six cylinder or an eight?

 

[Dennisch]

Oh, great choice, I love these. 👍

 

[Ibonibo]

Resto-mod seconded

 

[Grandea GTR]

Please don't go crazy and resto-mod it. Part of the appeal of these old bulletproof Mercs is that you can take them to work a couple times a work without issue, and fixing the whole thing up would just make it too nice to use regularly. Are you thinking of going with another six cylinder or an eight?

This sounds rather crazy, but we're putting in a turbo-4 engine in the W114, as well as converting the transmission to a manual.

What we are aiming for is efficiency while adding in a bit more oomph. But not too much oomph.

Aside from that, we're keeping the W114 as close to stock as possible, save for the addition of a tachometer and (possibly) a boost gauge.

Coming home right now, the pictures will be taken soon.

 

[Grandea GTR]

Tinypic is being a complete butt, anyone know other good image hosting sites?

 

[Dennisch]

Tinypic is being a complete butt, anyone know other good image hosting sites?

👍

 

[Grandea GTR]

View attachment 386540

👍

Oh. Derp! Will get the photos uploaded.

 

[Grandea GTR]

So here is another problem with body: rust bubbles on the paintjob.

Here's the 2.5 I6. Currently we are taking it apart bit by bit, wire by wire, and plug by plug before removing it from the bay.

Another angle.

The interior could use a tad bit of work.

A nice spot to cut a hole for the manual transmission!

 

[Grandea GTR]

Progress report:

Fully detached the radiator.

The carburetors have been taken out, and most of the wires have been disconnected.

 

[eiriksmil]

So you acquired a running W114 in decent condition to do a I4 turbo swap and cutting it up...

And why on earth are you taking the stock engine apart bit by bit while in the bay instead of just pulling it?

 

[Grandea GTR]

So you acquired a running W114 in decent condition to do a I4 turbo swap and cutting it up...

It was running, but not at a really desirable condition of running. The I6 would every now and then make strange popping noises, so we thought it would be a good idea to replace the engine.

And why on earth are you taking the stock engine apart bit by bit while in the bay instead of just pulling it?

We're taking apart the engine bit by bit in the bay so that we can sort out what parts are still good and what parts are still bad, just doing it in advance to save the trouble of doing it later on (We may most likely forget about doing it the moment we finish the swap). That way, we can go ahead and sell the good engine parts for a decent value (we predict that the W114's Zenith Carbs alone will make about $500-$600, or maybe higher, since they are quite rare), get rid of the defect parts and then go on from there. It also makes it easier to extract the engine from the bay, so there's that as well.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

This is going to be a fun project to follow.

 

[ildd]

Why was @ildd not tagged

Since you live in Dallas... When it's finished how about we trade cars for a day? Have you decided which i4 to put in?
How about we start looking for a wrecked cla45/gla amg huh

 

[Michelin]

Damn, this project looks nice. It's something among this I want to do with my car in the future. I subscribed to the thread.

 

[Grandea GTR]

Why was @ildd not tagged

Since you live in Dallas... When it's finished how about we trade cars for a day? Have you decided which i4 to put in?
How about we start looking for a wrecked cla45/gla amg huh

We just got the engine today: it's an SR20DET.

On another note:

Anyone know how to restore cracks on old hella lights like these? I just noticed the crack on the bottom left.

 

[Grandea GTR]

Began the extraction. All the bigger guys told me to stay back for this part (very heavy engine), so I ended up doing the picture taking.

Extraction complete!

Now for the SR to come in, til next time!

 

[ildd]

If it was me, and the wiring/electronics part wasn't a nightmare, I would have done a 4.3 or 5.4 M113 swap. But the turbo 4 is still pretty cool, it's definitely unique for this car. Can't wait for the extra results. Will it be a 5 or 6 speed?

 

[Grandea GTR]

If it was me, and the wiring/electronics part wasn't a nightmare, I would have done a 4.3 or 5.4 M113 swap. But the turbo 4 is still pretty cool, it's definitely unique for this car. Can't wait for the extra results. Will it be a 5 or 6 speed?

We have multiple 5 speed transmissions in the garage compatible for the SR20DET, so we may most likely use one of those.

 

[High-Test]

This makes me happy on so many levels. Are you keeping the steelies and caps? Or are you going to throw bundts on it? (As Centros are unobtanium alloy)

 

[Grandea GTR]

This makes me happy on so many levels. Are you keeping the steelies and caps? Or are you going to throw bundts on it? (As Centros are unobtanium alloy)

We're keeping the steelies on, but we got a new set of hubs specific to this model.

So far, nothing new has happened yet, as we are all way too busy with other things going on (school, work, family, etc.)

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

We just got the engine today: it's an SR20DET.

View attachment 388478

On another note:

View attachment 388479

Anyone know how to restore cracks on old hella lights like these? I just noticed the crack on the bottom left.

You are better off just buying new lights. Replace both. If you just buy 1 new light, it will look out of place and will be brighter than the other.

 

[Grandea GTR]

You are better off just buying new lights. Replace both. If you just buy 1 new light, it will look out of place and will be brighter than the other.

True.

These lights must be "Hella" expensive though, given brand name.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

True.

These lights must be "Hella" expensive though, given brand name.

I see what you did there.

You don't have to replace them with the exact original brand name. Just call your local Advanced, Napa, or Autozone and they should have a replacement. Most of those lights are universal between many vehicles. Maybe check ebay. Or you could convert to LED lights like I did. My entire 69 Camaro from front to rear, inside and out, contains all led lights.

 

[Hayden]

Awesome project! Definitely keeping an eye on this one 👍