Would a W110 230 be a good donor for a manual transmission for a 280SL?

[GGR]

Hi all,

the 280 SL I just bought is an auto trans and I may convert it to manual. I have acess to a W110 230 manual shift. Would that car be a good donor for a transmission, flywheel, shifter, pedal assy etc?

Thanks!

[GGR]

I see on EPC that the pedal assy bracket is a 113 p/n, but the clutch pedal is a 110 p/n. Can the 110 pedal assy be swapped complete in the Pagoda? Or do I have to (can I?) make one pedal assy out of the two, retaining the 113 bracket and brake pedal, and somehow graftting the 110 clutch pedal?

I also see that the 110 and 113 transmissions  and flywheels do not have the same p/n. But the Workshop Manual reports that the G72 transmission was fitted on the 113 untill the end of production as well as on the W108/109/111 chassis before '69. My manual doesn't cover the W110 chassis but I doubt MB went with many different transmissions at the same time? Can they still be swapped? What are the differences?

Thanks!

[ja17]

Hello,

Is the parts car a floor shift or column shift standard?  If the donor car is not a floor shift, you will need to find a top cover for the transmission also.

Ok, you have a 280SL the 230 donor sedan uses the engine more closely related to the 230SL.  The flywheel will not work since it is counter-balanced. the attachment flywheel bolt holes are also to small for the bolts for the 280 series. So you will need a flywheel and the six attachment bolts for a standard 280 engine. You will need a top cover if the donor sedan is not a floor shift. You will need a front drive shaft half  or will need to modify one of yours to be the correct length. You will need a different speedometer cable and your speedometer may be off.  (the donor dan cable could be the same).  you will need to add the centering bearing to the back end of your crankshaft before you do the swap. (you can use the one on the donor car) It has a dust cover also. I think all the hydraulics and the clutch pedal will work out of the donor car.  Lastly the shifter assembly will be needed unless the sedan is a floor shift. If it is the length of the one shift rod and brace rods will be a different length. You will have to modify these  (no big deal) unless you find a W113 shifter.

The 230 flywheel can be balanced (counterbalance removed) and the mounting holes bored out to make it usable on the 280 engine if needed.  An automotive machine shop can do this work.

Yes the sedan of the era used the same transmission but had slightly different gearing. You will find that the sedan first gear is quite short.

[GGR]

Thanks.

This 110 is a floor shift. I think Im going to take as much as I can out of it.

For the flywheel: is the 280 flywheel balanced  with the crankshaft or is it balanced on its own? ie if I modify this 110 flyheel and have it balanced to "0" am I good to go?

If I use this transmission I will be fitting a 3.27 rear axle I have, so it may compensate for the shorter 1st.

[ja17]

Hello,

Yes, the 280 flywheel is balanced on its own. The 230 has a counter-balanced flywheel. The counter-balance mass can be lathed off for balancing. The 230 crankshaft  flywheel bolt holes must also be bored out slightly. Then you will be good to go. Remember to order six attachment bolts for the 280 style crankshaft for a standard flywheel.  The 280 automatic crankshaft  bolts are too long for the standard flywheel  and the 230  bolts are too small in diameter to fit the 280 crankshaft.

Keep us up to date on your progress.

[GGR]

Thanks.

I don't really know yet which way I will go: 4 speed + 3.27 or Getrag 5 speed + stock rear axle. I prefer the second option. But as I need to take the pedal assy and the shifter out of that 110 I may well go the extra mile and take the whole thing out. If I don't use it I will keep it in reserve or sell it.

[ctaylor738]

What are you going to do with the linkage and electrical connections on the firewall if you decide to covert?

[GGR]

What are you going to do with the linkage and electrical connections on the firewall if you decide to covert?

I don't know. But any conversion is not going to happen anytime soon. I first need to have the car work properly in stock form. I'm wanting to get the parts from that 110 because the occasion is there and I will keep them in reserve.

[Raymond]

When you do get around to it, consider a Tremec T-5 instead of the Getrag.  A brand new T-5 can be had for about $1500 and there are only 6 items required for installation.  1. a 1-inch thick spacer/adapter plate between the bell housing and gearbox, (I have a template). 2. new driveshaft. 3. modify the mounting plate to clear the lower part of the gear box. 4. Square the front of the shifter hole in the tunnel. 5. Install a Cable-X converter that turns the electronic speedometer signal into a drive for the mechanical speedo cable.  6. new speedo cable.  Optionally, if you don't like any of the variety of shift levers available for the T-5, you will have to modify the base of the SL shift lever to fit.  The position of the lever will be exactly as the original position.

With my 4.08 rear end, the engine turns 3000 RPM at 76 mph.  I'm now averaging 18.8 mpg with a mix of city and highway driving.  And, I can still chirp the wheels shifting to 2nd.

[GGR]

When you do get around to it, consider a Tremec T-5 instead of the Getrag.  A brand new T-5 can be had for about $1500 and there are only 6 items required for installation.  1. a 1-inch thick spacer/adapter plate between the bell housing and gearbox, (I have a template). 2. new driveshaft. 3. modify the mounting plate to clear the lower part of the gear box. 4. Square the front of the shifter hole in the tunnel. 5. Install a Cable-X converter that turns the electronic speedometer signal into a drive for the mechanical speedo cable.  6. new speedo cable.  Optionally, if you don't like any of the variety of shift levers available for the T-5, you will have to modify the base of the SL shift lever to fit.  The position of the lever will be exactly as the original position.

With my 4.08 rear end, the engine turns 3000 RPM at 76 mph.  I'm now averaging 18.8 mpg with a mix of city and highway driving.  And, I can still chirp the wheels shifting to 2nd.

I may also look into the later 717 range of transmissions. The early ones had an iron housing with detacheable bellhousing while the later ones have an aluminum housing incorporating the bellhousing. The issue with these is the side shift system but Walter Klatt installed one of those mated to a 2.2 diesel engine in a Pagoda without having to modify the tunnel. It is possible that the shorter four cylinder engine he is using sits more forewards in the engine bay hence helping with clearance issues in the tunnel. Walter lives not too far from me so I may pay him a visit to see how all sits in there.

I believe the bolt pattrn of (at least some) of these later 717 will match the one of the Pagoda engine, so with a careful selection of parts in the MB parts bin it may be possible to install one as a nearly straight fit. I need to do more research on this.

[Garry]

And if all else fails, I have a 4 speed gear box just sitting around after doing the 5 speed conversion!
Garry