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MERCEDES-BENZ: 5 Spd Manual vs. 4 Spd Automatic
By John Olson | February 25, 2009
Phil asks:
I have a 1981 500SLC I would like to put a 5-speed (manual) trans in the car ….any suggestions.
John Olson replies:
My suggestions? Forget about it! The improvement would be minimal for a whole lota’ cost and monkey business. Gertrag made (may still make) a strong five speed manual box that AMG offered during the 1980s… priced at $14,000 then! I still have their little price book that listed about 50 options with prices… that being one. The “cheapest way to do it would be buy a1983 – 1986 Euro 500SL with one of these manual five speeds as a donor car, swap out what you want and sell the donor.
On the down side, you will dilute the long term appreciation of a rare car; substancial if it is a nice car. I consider the 500SLC to be the most significant collectible Mercedes-Benz of that decade… the decade of the 1970s… even though your car is an ’81. You already have the four speed automatic, which in itself enhances that car’s value.
I have done transmission and gear-ratio and rear axle ratio transplants on a number of cars for racing & rally purposes, and assure you the benefits gear changes are elusive and application specific. Every choice is a compromise. Street or track use, under or over 100 miles per hour driving, stock weight or lightened? The 500SLC, as one of the few homologated rally race cars Mercedes-Benz ever sold to the public, is a very hard car to improve upon. Only 2,769 were built and less have been found 50 in the USA. It is the lowest series production car built by Mercedes- Benz in that decade. My suggestion: keep it original.
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Topics: Mercedes-Benz Modifications, Questions & Answers, SL Market News | 1 Comment »
September 14th, 2009 at 7:24 am
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