Trace replacement engine to specific original car?

[H. Keith Henry]

I've done just enough research on my new-to-me 280 SL to know that I should be happy to have a replacement engine that runs well and not worry that it is not original to the car. So, I'm fine with that. But, out of curiosity, I have the opposite of the usual engine-chassis question: Is there a way to take my engine serial number and match it to a VIN number to determine exactly which car it came from?

[roymil]

This is an excellent question I'd also be curious about.  The main reason to know is so that you can correctly source spare engine parts with some confidence.   Not all parts are easy to figure out.   I *think* I currently have a factory rebuilt engine from a 280SE, installed sometime in the early 90's,  but I'm not completely sure which type of oil pan, pump, and pickup are correct for this specific block.  I shared part numbers with a well known parts supplier and they didn't think my oil pump was from an SL or an SE.  It works fine but I'm stumped.

Reverse lookup of the engine serial number would be a great help.

[MikeSimon]

You can not. While it is possible to narrow down the car model - M130-980, -920,-983 etc, and the manual or AT transmission application using the engine serial number and with that the approximate build date, assigning an engine to a specific car is next to impossible.

[H. Keith Henry]

How does one use the engine serial number to "narrow down the car model?"

[dirkbalter]

How does one use the engine serial number to "narrow down the car model?"

Take a look here.
https://www.sl113.org/wiki/DataCard/EngineNumber

[H. Keith Henry]

Got it. Thanks. A well-done explanation.

[Berggreen]

Got it. Thanks. A well-done explanation.

.....agree, but not complete. In fact the M130.981 engine is missing in the list. This engine has identical specs to the M130.983 (280SL), and was used in the w109 300 SEL 2.8L model. This engine was attractive as a replacement for the M130.983, due to the identical specs. I have one in my 280SL from 1970.

Cheers,

Christian

[Desertpagoda]

me too, i bought a t-boned sedan with this engine and rebuilt it for my sl, the cam was always noisey though and i finally changed it for a less rampy cam and truthfully didnt notice any loss