Thanks Josh...
The other reason to relocate is the top radiator hose. I'm thinking a shroud might be too thick @ the ends, as opposed to a fan that tapers to the edges.
I just braved the conditions (50F) and snapped a clearance pic & uploaded>> here

 

Steve, your clearance looks about right. I took some measurements and pics. I couldn't get to the crank pulley or any other pulley for that matter except the A/C compressor. I measured 2.25" exactly between the end of the pulley and the radiator but it sticks out a little bit more than the others. My fan measures just shy of 2" and since it's mechanical it is always on. It's narrower but being on at all times it does the job. Without my pusher fan working, so just the mechanical fan, in 110 degree weather here sitting in traffic it was just a hair over mid on the temp guage. With both it will never hit mid even with your motor. This was all figured out by LantanaTX (bob). He put 2 pusher fans on and his car overheated. He replaced the pushers for a mechanical C43 fan and 1 bigger 14" pusher in front of the radiator.

Let me know if you need part numbers and suppliers. I shopped around for quite a while to get the best deal possible.

You are right though, the 6 hose won't work. You need the C43 upper radiator hose as well. Same thing, I have a spreadsheet with part numbers and suppliers.
EDIT: The C43 might not work if it's not the same angle. I'll get back to you on this.
EDIT again: Just double checked and no the C43 is no where near your angle. Maybe the SRT's will work, this is something you will have to test out.

Please don't relocate your radiator and condensor. That is a ton of work! Let's get that beast finished Steve without major labor left after putting the sucker in there already. Have a look at these for clearance's.

 

Tip of the hat to ya!

Thanks for all the effort but didn't mean to hog your thread w/my issues.... All good advise & will certainly consider. I'll dig back in w/both feet this wk end (just like you).

Think you w/be back to terrorizing the neighborhoods soon? Watch out for those learning curves!.....

I'm thinkin that if the V8ers keep growin in nubers that maybe someday we would earn our own category on the forum home page....

 

No worries with hogging my thread or anything. I asked, and expected quite a few replies with answers and discussion. I am very excited with your build right now.

I should be done soon, I described that spring compressor to my co-workers and one of them has one. I'm going to grab it from him after work and should have the parking brake nightmare done tonight if all goes well.

I wish we could have our own already. They put one on CICCI but I'm not a member since IB took over and people said something about issues with money or something to that effect.

 

I spent an hour+ reading this thread beginning to end and I cant get enough of this thread. You had so many different combinations of attempts at programming to get this to work that I lost how you got it to work. v6 ecu tricked into thinking its a v8, right?? Either way, Great work!

Coming from the MB scene, where most tuners generally say "its impossible due to tuning/programming," you've done a lot more than most MB tuners would even attempt. Swapping in the v8 AND getting it to pair up w/ the 6 speed is pretty damn awesome.

Do you have any plans for strengthening up the trans or do you feel as if the 6spd is up to the task of 300+ hp from the 5.0?

Again - I'm in awe at the amount of work you put into this. I hope you can figure out how to do this for people in the future as m113 e50 prices are falling like bricks. Some day, when my motor / trans decides to die, I'm gonna be hittin' you up!

 

The c43 fan set up will not work on the 55K engine. Gonna have to be creative keeping that badboy cool!!

 

Yeah it was a mission, that's for sure lol. I never said what I actually did in detail, and I won't. At first I was going to, but I got to the point where I realized it was my research and struggle so it will become my business for others. What I can say though is that it's a completely custom ECU that you end up with and you would only end up with one.

Tons of companies I talked to said it couldn't be done. Big names who tried failed. The one other person in the entire world that could figure this out was Mercedes themselves. No V8 came with a manual since '97 and no AMG either. I figured out both. My motor obviously isn't an AMG but with my customers thus far I have been able to do a lot of experimenting. My whole thing with customers is "If it works with my car it will work with yours". In saying that I'm referring to the transponder (old style) key, old style cruise, and transmission. The thing with the trans is if it works with mine, the manual, then it'll be a walk in the park for the auto's. Thank you though.

The trans is more than up to the task for this motor stock or modified. This was a debated topic but no one knew. The first part to go would be the clutch and I figured that mine with 70xxx miles on it would have gone quick with how I drove after the swap... So far a thousand miles and that sucker is fine. I have a brand new as back up waiting, but I feel by the time I need it I'll have a different motor and the SPEC clutch anyway. There are people who keep telling me to buy this or that trans but until this one breaks it's not going anywhere. I feel that Mercedes down played capability of it quite a lot.

Not sure if it was missed or I'm missunderstanding but I already did it for someone else who is driving it around daily. He has a white crossfire just like mine and for ~3 years went to every tuner or Mercedes "go-to" guy for answers who failed every attempt, after attempt, after attempt. He was about to put it back to stock when I finally figured it out. We had a hiccup with the first ECU I sent (learning curve for me) but it was solved as soon as I got it back and he's been all good to go since. Ours were both running CEL free the same day. I was waiting on DAS, he ended up having a bad O2.

JimmySkullz, the guy I'm talking about above has also gone extemely beyond generous and given me countless ECU's for testing work, we've worked out countless deals for all kinds of parts, he helps me research and kick over theories for all my customers and he also helped guide me through putting the engine in even when he considered it a lost cause due to his struggles with the big names in Mercedes.

I also have another customer who will be sounding the alarms of rejoice tomorrow if all goes well. It's also another first for the Mercedes record books. -- A lot of possibilities were opened with this one.

Then we have Steve who I am hoping we can get up and going for my first 55K project. Since I need testing time with his we will see if a 55K 6-speed is possible as well. Two birds with one stone.... We will know if they can be programmed for crossfires with auto's as well as with manual's.

Other than that it's been my personal work with various ECU's from Jim and for Jim. I'm currently working on a way to cut the BS and cost of the current ECU for 6-speed 5.0's.

 

It won't!!!??? There should be a 1/2" of clearance?

 

If you look at this pic and imagine another belt between it and the fan, dude it looks like it would clear no problem lol.

 

Thanks,
Texas or not, I'm thinkin It's goin to take everything I can throw at it, including a couple of oil coolers behind the fog light delete slots. Easier now than later.....

 

EDIT: Nvm........

 

Exactly! I would get as much air as you can through there. Your build is Super Clean!! Good work! Cant wait to the finished product is shown

 

I'll see if I can post my pic here close to yours...

 

 

Dang!... Teach me how to do that......

 

Man, im so stoked to see what else you've got in progress.

Glad I wasn't confused when i didn't get how you got it to work and I totally understand you not wanting to tell the whole world about how ya got it to work. Either way, I hope you stay on the west coast - I'd like to visit you some day w/ my car

Sub'd to this thread - looking forward to more updates!

 

Steve, if you go to a picture in your album, you enlarge it, and right click for copy then come over the the reply box and paste it.

Also Steve, I need you to measure as accurately as possible from the water pump pulley to the radiator, but I need you to include threads, so the flat face of the pulley. I can pull my fan out in 5 minutes so I'll measure mine as soon as I can, I'll also measure without the shroud in, the distance to the fan blades.

It's definitely going to be a wild ride for everyone here on out lol. Just don't say anything on the MB forum yet. I'm scared orders will flood in faster than I could ever hope to pump them out. I'm more or less waiting to get situated first. Business license, insurance those kinds of things.

That would be awesome. No clue when were moving but I would have so much more of a market, east. Plus my wife and I love green, and old. For a ton of reasons I would rather have an old 1890's brick house than my 1970's piece of crap held together with duct tape and cardboard house lol.

 

Keeping my eyes open for you, buddy My place was built in the 1940s so I hear exactly what you are saying...

 

Thanks man! My wife is looking at some other towns now for job oppurtunities but I'm almost wanting to wait until business with modding MB's is off the ground. I just got a promotion at my job but it's making me want to get this business going that much more lol.

 

"Kin folk said, Josh move away from there...Said DFW is the place you oughta be"

Dude! Please don't waste your valuable time on my cooling thingy...
You need to crank some nuts & get your rear end in gear! (wait, was that a pun?)

Got a house full today, kids in from college, honey do list, etc. etc... I'll measure Fri. or Sat.

Happy Thanksgiving to all....