[FLYNAVY]

I don't know if this thread is still being watched, but I thought I would add my .02 FWIW. I'm finishing an m117 to w201 swap, and I think I've got a fairly good hold on the issues that you would likely run into w/ the m119 swap. Here is a run-down of the specifics that I imagine you will need to work out:

1) The steering box....the m117 only barely clears it, and headers require one to get creative. Count on either (1) altering the geometry of the steering system and moving the gearbox over/down/forward, or (2) converting to rack and pinion....I've heard a VW or BMW rack works the best for a 201.

2) Front swaybar....not a big issue, but you will need a 500e bar with around 1/2 inch lobbed off either side. Otherwise you will never get the engine oil pan to clear both the swaybar and crossmember.

3) Firewall and triangular trays (under brake booster and also under battery compartment) will need to be HEAVILY modified to take a 119 w/ the wider quad cam heads. Take that to the bank.....also not necissarily the biggest hurdle, but lots of little things/problems will result from this in terms of routing of fuel/brake lines, and also just your rain gaurds and windshield wiper assembly.

4) Electronics.....I don't even want to think about that. The straight CIS--->CIS swap I did was child's play. Your CIS--->LH swap is going to be a major undertaking. At least make sure that you have every wiring diagram that you might need, as well as the engine harness, trans harness, and traction control harness. Assuming (I don't know) your m119 uses an electronic speedo, that will not be compatible with the w201 mechanical speedo.

5) Fusebox. Hmmm....not sure how much will need to change, but it is a horrible nightmare to remove and re-install. Avoid this at all costs, unless absolutely necissary....which it most likely will be. Oh god.....don't take pictures of this, because I never want to think about doing it ever again haha

6) Transmission....it should probably fit without much trouble. My 722.3 fit with VERY minimal banging on the tunnel. It is not much wider than the 722.4 used in the 201, and only the valve body extends a little further than normal. I was able to use the existing rear trans mounts, and just swapped out the output flange for a smaller one from my old trans. This saved me from having to modify the driveshaft, and amazingly enough this all placed the motor in the correct position in the engine compartment.

Hopefully that gives you a good feel for what lays ahead of you should you choose to undertake this project. It sounds exciting, but make sure you prepare yourself for the vast amount of work involved....seriously, I grossly underestimated the difficulty level of my swap, and the amount of time and attention to detail it would require. I have probably studied diagrams, manuals, etc for hundreds and hundreds of hours, and I still have questions almost daily. My year and a half of planning prior to starting this swap were somewhat beneficial in terms of familiarizing myself with the motor and a few major areas of concern, but advice from others (on forums), and things I thought I understood from manuals and written literature were almost without exception proven to be largely or entirely innaccurate (pertaining to the swap in particular). Most everything that I was told would be a problem was not, and almost everything that I took for granted going into this ended up being a major headache. Oh yeah....the one thing that a lot of folks did guess correctly was the lowest amount of money I would spend. So here is my most valuable advice to you, perhaps more valuable than anything listed above.

1) Plan on spending at least 10k USD, no matter how you go about it.....even w/ your own labor. This is if you want it done correctly of course

2) Plan on it taking twice as long as your worst case scenario, and being 3 times as difficult.

Good luck...can't wait to see someone actually sack up and take the 119 swap on!