Does anyone know whether an aluminum radiator from a 560SEL (W126) would be a fit for a R107 car (450sl)? I am looking at having to replace my radiator as part of the rebuild of the car, and I found a good 126 radiator at the yard for cheap. I am guessing that the parts are probably different, but stranger things have happened, and every now and again, one gets lucky with an interchange. I have already swiped the dual snorkel air cleaner. The radiator I have now has the built in oil cooler, but I would likely be installing a separate larger oil cooler in front of the radiator (AC equipment is off the car permanently so I have the room)
I remember seeing that someone put I think w126 radiator in a r107. I think the radiator physically fit but there was an issue with the mounting. I think whoever did the conversion used some bracketing material and made a "custom" mount. The mount was just a couple pieces of L bracket bolted to the radiator support. I'm not sure if the radiator was from a w126 but I think it was because I remember it being aluminum.
Get out the measuring tape and get the sizes of both radiator and figure if you are into doing some mild fabrication. Take what I say with a grain of salt also, I'm not exactly sure which car the radiator was out of. The only reason I remember is because the radiator out of a 280sl/slc is very expensive or NLA and I figure might be a good idea if I ever have the radiator clog up again.
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Thanks! - I am going to attempt to do something like that for the 107, once I can. These days, I have struggled to find the time to work on the car, much less to document it on the Web. But I am trying to take pictures along the way, and hopefully these can fill in some web pages. Unfortunately, many of the pictures I had of the car when I got it, showing the sad condition, were somehow lost digitally and I can't find them. I am rally-prepping the car, so hopefully some of the material I get around to posting will be valuable to others. Right now, I am really in the discovery stage for the 107, learning about the car as I dismantle it. I am used to Jags, and I am consistently amazed at the engineering and build quality of the 107 for its time. I guess that's why 107s outnumber Jags in the stable 2 to 1!
Yes, I would not be considering this if not for the fact that the car is being rally-prepped. The aluminum radiator would be lighter, and if it fits between the uprights, so to speak, and has vertical clearance, it might be a way to go. May also be more efficient than my current radiator, even after having it re-cored. Because the one I found in a yard is in good condition and cheap (~$50), it seems worth a try if it can be found to fit. Unfortunately, I don't have ready access to my 107 car to measure the radiator dimensions, in order to compare it to the 126 radiator. I am away on business and will be driving past the yard in question before I am next at home. If anyone can post the 107 radiator dimensions for me, I would be in your debt. With that, I can measure the 126 radiator in situ before I decide whether it is worth pulling and taking home. If I need to fabricate small brackets to fit the thing, as Daryn suggested, I can do that, unless the 126 rad is too large to begin with.
Yes, I would not be considering this if not for the fact that the car is being rally-prepped. The aluminum radiator would be lighter, and if it fits between the uprights, so to speak, and has vertical clearance, it might be a way to go. May also be more efficient than my current radiator, even after having it re-cored. Because the one I found in a yard is in good condition and cheap (~$50), it seems worth a try if it can be found to fit. Unfortunately, I don't have ready access to my 107 car to measure the radiator dimensions, in order to compare it to the 126 radiator. I am away on business and will be driving past the yard in question before I am next at home. If anyone can post the 107 radiator dimensions for me, I would be in your debt. With that, I can measure the 126 radiator in situ before I decide whether it is worth pulling and taking home. If I need to fabricate small brackets to fit the thing, as Daryn suggested, I can do that, unless the 126 rad is too large to begin with.
Worse comes to worse.......buy the rad anyways. It's a fabulous price that can become profitable if it doesn't fit.
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Preliminarily, it appears that the W126 aluminum radiator will be a serviceable fit into my 107. The one I have came from a 1988 560SEL, courtesy of Pick-N-Pull for $50. It is clean and undamaged.
The dimensions for the stock 107 radiator, including the oil cooler, are 27 5/8" wide and 20 1/2" tall. The width excludes the rubber side mounts that slot into the receiver on the 107 frame.
The 126 radiator is slightly narrower and taller, at 27 1/4" wide and 22" tall. The radiator core is 1" taller than the 107 unit, and the lower tank is 1/2" taller, accounting for the difference.
The transmission fluid cooler fittings are in a similar location, and are the same thread size. The lower radiator hose fittings are in the same place and are of the same size as the 107. The upper radiator hose on the 126 is more centrally located than on the 107, will require routing the hose in the other direction. The 107 fan shroud appears that it will fit on the 126 radiator, the holes on the shroud match up with the 1/2 metal flange on the 126 radiator, some self tapping screws should do the trick.
The only thing that remains unknown is how the shroud will fit on the 126 radiator in alignment with the engine fan. The 126 radiator will sit slightly lower than the 107, but because the upper tanks are the same dimension, it should be OK, I expect. I will need to fashion some small L brackets to hold the 126 radiator from underneath, with some rubber mounts between. Also, some rubber mounts will be needed on the side, because the 126 radiator is slightly narrower. I am thinking that some rubber stoppers mounted to the 107 frame should suffice. When I actually perform the install, I will update on results! Here is a picture that shows the 2 radiators side by side.
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