Doing something sacrecarous

Daggerty

Hmmmm well ahhh.... so I got this car with a lot of goodies on it. It is not a Bmw and it just weighs to much and these parts need to go into something else. If you don't know what car I am talking about it is a 2003 s55.

The bases of the car is going to be a track car, but not full retard still be able to drive on the street and take to cruises and car shows. I don't know what chassis or car this is all going into yet. I'm leaning towards e30 or e36. Any ideas of cars I'm open too them.

I have a lead on a e36 318i 5 speed four door with 60,000 miles on it just needs touch up paint and w/s. price is under 3k. I want something with zero rust.

So what am I going to be using? The engine and transmission. For all you butt hurts it's an automatic with paddle shifting. It's going to be a lot easier this way for the swap. Mb down the line it will get a manual but that will require a standalone ecu for the engine to cope with the trans computer missing. Also a manual trans that can handle this power will be $$$. Or the other option would be blow it and replace it with ZFs all day for pennys? Almost forgot the engine may go in the middle of the car literally, in order.. engine, trans, diff. No drive shaft. Sadly I don't think there is enough room. A mid engine trans is just not in the budget, always open to ideas.

Suspension... well I will probably do the engine swap and get that completed. But the ultimate goal is to incorporate the hydraulic suspension into the car. If this means tube frame for suspension it will get it. Which means lots of caster and struts diagonally. If you do not know what Mercedes abc suspension is I would highly recommend researching it.

Using the suspension means I will be using the control arms hubs and the big brakes.

Yes this is not an overnight process. The engine swap is the easy part that will only take a month if that.

it will get the Mercedes cluster cut out to look stock. The goal is to have no cel which is very possible with the Mercedes ecu as you can code anything out with it.

The plan is not set in stone if someone else has a better idea let me know. This is in dream phase so help me make this crazy.

B C

My picks:

C4 Corvette

Infiniti G35 coupe

Porsche 928

E46 touring (more room for mid engine config too)

The paddle shifted automatic doesn't phase me at all. Mercedes autos are wonderful and you've upgraded the TC. Did you put a more aggressive valve body on it too?

P_Roloff

What about a 190e?

Bassboy3313

P_Roloff said:

What about a 190e?

Yes. Buy @Jeff's and do the swap. Would be awesome.

YoungCR

Bassboy3313 said:

Yes. Buy @Jeff's and do the swap. Would be awesome.

This is my vote! Although it doesn't work for being midengine it would be a sweet swap.

HipMF

Sleeper wagon

HipMF

Not that it has anything to do with your project, but I'm mildly obsessed with this idea at the moment...

Pulling on someone on the highway would be like that video I posted in the "awesome car videos" thread, except with an '80s Mercedes wagon instead of an RS4...

Daggerty

The mid engine dream is not a high possibility, just a thought. @Jeff if you still have it let me know I am going to be looking at some cars today.

The valve body is stock but it has a tcu tune that makes shifts way faster.

B C

Bummer, Jeff sold the 190 already

Daggerty

This is the car in question. 58k brown interior that is in perfect condition. It has been sitting on jack stands for 12 years.

B C

Is the E36 you have been parting out too rusty?

Daggerty

Snap said:

Is the E36 you have been parting out too rusty?

Yeah would not be worth the effort

HipMF

Daggerty said:

...has been sitting on jack stands for 12 years.

Are they a member here? They'd fit right in

straight6pwr

the mid-engine thing sounds unnecessary. is there even room for the engine/trans/firewall before you would be into the front passenger area?

put it in a miata.

Jdesign

This sounds super interesting. How about a W109 or even older a W111 finny. That would be really awesome!

Daggerty

straight6pwr said:

the mid-engine thing sounds unnecessary. is there even room for the engine/trans/firewall before you would be into the front passenger area?

Ok fine I won't do it.