I have clearance issues.

1982 Mercedes 240D, nice car, a real grandma car. Back seat was never sat in. The diesel engine was seized so it got me $30 at a scrapper.

I bought a 1970 Buick Skylark with a 350 and TH350 tranny. I chose it because the deep part of the oil pan is at the rear and the distributor is up front, I thought it would be an easier fit over the cross member.

Well, a few hours of tugging and wrestling yesterday got it in, but the engine sits with a 5 degree up angle, high in the front. Also the steering box is about an inch away from the left side exhaust port, no room for stock exhaust or header.

Now what? I don't know if I have the fabrication or welding skills to remove the cross member, lower the whole affair and remake a cross member. With $1200 spent, I don't know if I can finish a steering rack under it all for <$2017.

Suggestions?

I think this is the start of developing your soon to be found fabrication and welding skills.

Crown Vic front suspension an option?

As to skills, don't worry, none of us have them going into the project, you get those at the end.

In reply to NOHOME: Whaaaaa!!!?!?!?! all your mad skills are OTJ?

759NRNG wrote: In reply to NOHOME: Whaaaaa!!!?!?!?! all your mad skills are OTJ?

Considering some of the places that NOHOME has been, he's learned that what we call mad skills are really just life skills.

We in the first world are quite spoiled by the easy button of being able to just buy replacement and repair parts.

I always liked this anecdote: a gringo first timer at LaCarrera Pan-American blew a head gasket on an sbf powered falcon on day one, and thought his race was over. Moments before declaring his withdraw, another competitor told him to go see the guy in town that makes copper pots. The Coppersmith hand made him a new set of gaskets from copper sheet, using his old ones as patterns. The car was back in action in time for the next days start, and ran great for the whole rest of the rally.

914Driver wrote: 1982 Mercedes 240D, nice car, a real grandma car. Back seat was never sat in. The diesel engine was seized so it got me $30 at a scrapper. I bought a 1970 Buick Skylark with a 350 and TH350 tranny. I chose it because the deep part of the oil pan is at the rear and the distributor is up front, I thought it would be an easier fit over the cross member. Well, a few hours of tugging and wrestling yesterday got it in, but the engine sits with a 5 degree up angle, high in the front. Also the steering box is about an inch away from the left side exhaust port, no room for stock exhaust or header. Now what? I don't know if I have the fabrication or welding skills to remove the cross member, lower the whole affair and remake a cross member. With $1200 spent, I don't know if I can finish a steering rack under it all for <$2017. Suggestions?

As a fabricator myself, I can tell you what you are describing is easy. It will be frustrating and time consuming, but easy all the same.

Invest in a 110v mig welder with gas capability and go to work. There are plenty of good fabricators on here that can guide you through whatever you want to do.

Bullet points:

• Take a deep breath

• Watch project Binky for motivation

• invest in a welder

• Watch more project binky

• test weld to build confidence

• Cut out the metal that needs to be gone

• Box in whatever you cut out

• Paint

See, most of the steps are easy

759NRNG wrote: In reply to NOHOME: Whaaaaa!!!?!?!?! all your mad skills are OTJ?

YUP. Been doing the same with my various and mixed careers also. Don't tell anyone

Thanks guys. I looked at it again and even if I fab the cross member, the engine won't be any where near low enough to clear the steering box. The Vic subframe would be too expensive so perhaps a straight six is in my future, keep the 350 for something else.

Dan

I guess easy is relative and everything is easy if you break it down. What you described isn't going to be easy but it also can be accomplished with patience and some smart thinking.

Flip the exhaust manifold so it dumps out the front? Where is the pan hitting? Not that hard to clearance a steel oil pan.

I think the usual "easy" V8 swap W123 is a front sump Ford 302 with the manifolds flipped. All MB cars of the era share very similar architecture under the hood and you'll note the factory V8s are all so front sumped that it sticks out the front of the engine a little. There's no easy way around that steering setup, a rack just trades exhaust clearance for oil pan clearance unless you move it and berkeley the geometry up.

Or you can use the real old school method of gettign all the under engine clearance one could possibly need. 2wd jeep front axles and steering boxes are cheap.

Price is relative to shopping ability. Whole point is to get rid of the MB steering box so use the CV rack.

If more appropriate, the MGB front suspension is also self contained, attaches with 4 bolts and might leave room for huge tires up front. Don't laugh at the lever shocks, they work better than you think even with V8 engines up front. $50 should get you one of these all day long with a rack.

Or You can put in a front steer rack and pinion then swap the spindles left to right to get the steering arms in the front.

Just thinking out loud.....mustang (fox, sn95) have the steering rack on the front side of the crossmember. They're cheap, easy to find, and a lot of information getting them to "work" geometry wise.

I know exactly squat about old MBs. Please ignore if I make no sense.

5 degree angle might be perfect depending on your pinion angle....