Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Not an Aussie, but the 302C 2V heads command a bit of a premium. What's got you looking for a pair? They'd be no good on your 400M.
Actually, they would be pretty brilliant (that's why they are a bit more expensive): They combine the 2V intakes, which on the M-Block have much better real-world performance than the 4V ones, with the "closed" combustion chamber design, significantly upping the compression ratio. A set of 302C heads should be at least on par with brand-name aftermarket aluminium heads, performance-wise.
 
Made the final payment on my Yukon today. I now own it free and clear. 4 year term paid off in 6 months. Next on the list is to pay off the BRZ by the end of 2017.
 
My driving school had Peugeot 306 hatchbacks with the HDI engine, first-generation commonrail from the mid-to-late 90's. They had a trick aftermarket fuel economy computer thing on the dash and it most certainly showed 0.0 (liters per 100km) during engine braking. Ecodriving was a thing even 17 years ago (has it really been that long?) so we did quite a lot of the stuff.

My own car shows 0.0 too, when I set the OBC to show current fuel consumption. I have to downshift a gear (or three, out of 7) to achieve 0.0 but still.

And I know perfectly well that diesels don't achieve much engine braking. I drive one every day and has done so for a long time. But it obviously still slows down the car better than coasting in gear does. Not that slowing the car down is the point of this discussion, anyways.



Economy driving has been a thing since the Great Depression, if not sooner. If it wasn't, things like the VW Beetle never would have been made.
 
Economy driving has been a thing since the Great Depression, if not sooner. If it wasn't, things like the VW Beetle never would have been made.

Even earlier the Chrysler Airflow, though that was a commercial failure.
 
A facebook group right now has a black mercedes 560SEL for sale, they are asking $1k. The paint is faded, it owes as much money on registration fees, the rear suspension seems to have collapsed, there are no interior pictures and the sun visors are on the trunk.

What could possibly go wrong?
 
A facebook group right now has a black mercedes 560SEL for sale, they are asking $1k. The paint is faded, it owes as much money on registration fees, the rear suspension seems to have collapsed, there are no interior pictures and the sun visors are on the trunk.

What could possibly go wrong?

Your avatar is perfect for this post. :lol:
 
A facebook group right now has a black mercedes 560SEL for sale, they are asking $1k. The paint is faded, it owes as much money on registration fees, the rear suspension seems to have collapsed, there are no interior pictures and the sun visors are on the trunk.

What could possibly go wrong?
Is it European or US market? You could probably fix the paint with some rubbing compound, as 95% of all black Mercedes do not have a clear coat. The collapsed rear suspension probably means that the hydraulic SLS has either developed a leak or the cylinders have failed.
I really wanted a W126 for a few years, so I know entirely too much about them.
 
Actually, they would be pretty brilliant (that's why they are a bit more expensive): They combine the 2V intakes, which on the M-Block have much better real-world performance than the 4V ones, with the "closed" combustion chamber design, significantly upping the compression ratio. A set of 302C heads should be at least on par with brand-name aftermarket aluminium heads, performance-wise.

They're decent heads, in the right application. The chambers are way, way smaller than your open-chamber heads and with your shiny new flat-top pistons, it's going to give your CR a massive bump. Your stock CR was ~8.5:1 with the 8cc piston dish and 78cc chambers. Going to a flat-top piston took that to ~9.2:1, which is a pretty reasonable CR. Swapping those 78cc heads for a set of 58cc Aussie heads is going to take you straight to ~11.6:1 compression. Great, if you want to run race gas in that thing 100% of the time, no so great in reality.

Nice as they are, a 302C head isn't going to come close to matching even the cheapest aluminum head in terms of flow. They were good OEM heads 50 years ago, a modern aftermarket head like a CHI 3V will outflow them by a huge margin. Unless you net a smoking deal on them, IMO the Aussie heads aren't worth the effort - you'd need to change pistons to use them, and good luck finding a pair that doesn't need a bunch of work anyway.
 
Your avatar is perfect for this post. :lol:

It is generally how it goes for me around projects :p

Everything. Everything could go wrong.

That's kinda what I thought as well.

Is it European or US market? You could probably fix the paint with some rubbing compound, as 95% of all black Mercedes do not have a clear coat. The collapsed rear suspension probably means that the hydraulic SLS has either developed a leak or the cylinders have failed.
I really wanted a W126 for a few years, so I know entirely too much about them.

it has tiny sealed beams so I will guess U.S. In any case, I still have no place to put anything not a tank, so that is out.
 
They're decent heads, in the right application. The chambers are way, way smaller than your open-chamber heads and with your shiny new flat-top pistons, it's going to give your CR a massive bump. Your stock CR was ~8.5:1 with the 8cc piston dish and 78cc chambers. Going to a flat-top piston took that to ~9.2:1, which is a pretty reasonable CR. Swapping those 78cc heads for a set of 58cc Aussie heads is going to take you straight to ~11.6:1 compression. Great, if you want to run race gas in that thing 100% of the time, no so great in reality.
Ideally, I'd like to end up with a 10.something:1 CR.

Maybe I should simply deal with the extra cost and go with a set of aluminium heads as a next step. The 60cc Edelbrocks are optimized for high-rpm use, though, so maybe the 62cc Trick Flow PowerPort Cleveland 195 could be a better alternative. But then again, I can't find any information towards which rpm band they are optimized for...

But first I got to get the most out of the setup I have. Thinking about a bunch of stuff one could do next:
-Do away with the makeshift GM TBI setup for a aftermarket fuel injection (Holley Terminator or Edelbrock E-Street 2). Or go for a MegaSquirt, but that would still leave me with the no-perfect GM injector setup and will still set me back $1000 for the ECU and WB o2 alone.
-Headers and exhaust, of course
-Aluminium heads, see above
-Upgrade to a E4OD transmission
 
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Why not go for an AOD and skip the transmission controller?
 
They make adapters but, people want $500 just for the hunk of metal.
 
Taxi permits are regulated in Finland. They're highly sought after because a taxi actually makes decent money... for the owner, perhaps not for the hired driver. But there's a reason why Finnish taxi drivers typically drive 1-3 year old E class Mercs instead of 15 year old Opels with mismatched hubcaps.

Anyway, someone recently found a loophole. You don't need a permit if you have a historical vehicle. You just need all the usual insurances, a sealed taxi meter, a yellow sign on the roof and off you go. There's at least a Saab 99 in the Helsinki area, a W115 somewhere else in Finland and today I spotted this in my neck of the woods. :D

iqsqMee.jpg


I bet the loophole will be plugged soon enough. Because fuck you for trying to make money.
 
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