Mercedes M120 vs Toyota 1GZFE V12 Engine: Unveiling the Ultimate Engine Swap

[@brycemueller7330]

I just bought a 96 Mercedes s600 V12 coupe for $1600. I found this video researching swap options for this motor! Im following this! I have a rust-free 87 Supra I was thinking about trying and swapping the Mercedes motor into!!!

[@wdblackman]

I have an 89 Sport Roof NA that I contemplated swapping in a V12 as well. Might have to use a BMW engine to make it fit in with the A90 crowd.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

That's not a bad chassis to do it in, there is a french guy in our V12 chat that has successfully done the swap

[@lea2666]

​@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins There's an american girl that successfully put a m120 in her 240z too.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

​@lea2666 that's awesome! A V12 240Z sounds Rad!

[@UKBUILT]

​@@wdblackmanThat would be awesome 😍 I am building my dream V12 supercar with my M120 👍

[@NickBoellner]

I love this. Recently dove into v12s and this engine looks like something im in need of.

[@Brock1912]

Oh boy, manual swapping my 1992 600SEL has always been a dream. Especially considering the transmission in it is currently shredded.

[@mikelmarion]

Can’t wait to see the development of these 2 engines!!

[@calaboot1153]

You always have something wild cooking up!

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

hey come get this FRS I don't really want to sell it but I'll take $4300 firm for it

[@mr70camarors]

I am very interested in any project done with the m120.

[@mumblety96]

Jaguar XJS would be PURRfect with a 6 speed manual. Not so much power that you'd have to modify the rear suspension.

[@UKBUILT]

V12 💪 I am building my dream V12 supercar with the m120

[@JACB006]

Based on your research to date, will the M120 fit into a CL600 (C215/M275)? You are scanning the M120 and I believe that you previously scanned the C215/M275 with its twin turbos. Does the M120 fit or are significant body mod’s needed? Is this a swap you are committed to? I also own a CL600 (C215/M275) and I’m interested in such a conversion. I would like a later (6/7 speed) auto transmission behind the M120. You Mentioned MAXX ECU, that might help with the transmission control?

[@jasaircraft]

Whats transmissions can you use with the m120? Mid engine type of transmissions?

[@jaynavedo5976]

Why havent You or mostly anyone else mentioned a thing about what You do to replace the wire harnesses?

[@TheShooter466]

is there a version of this engine that gives you a rear sump similar to a F body rear sump on a camaro?

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Unfortunately, the rear-sump situation is more of an American engine American vehicle type solution I haven't really seen that in the foreign car market per se.

[@TheShooter466]

@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins a rear sump would make them pretty easy to put into a lot of 4x4s. Would be cool to have a v12 in one

[@valkilmer7558]

What size of wheels on that white big boy?

[@777motorssss]

Can you guys make a kit to fit a m120 into a rx8 I’ll buy asap

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Thats not a bad idea, let me put the scans together

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Yeah we could do that. We would probably make it for the 350Z/ CD009 transmission though.

[@777motorssss]

@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins awesome! I’m highly interested! Do one for the BMW E46 too, building one for SEMA

[@huynhdanny4623]

Hey, really appreciate what you're doing. Building my own V12 mid engine manual is forever on my bucket list. One quick question though. Which engine is the most compact and easiest to work with in your opinion?

[@geniusanthony]

what does the m120 weigh without accessories, bare long block?

[@dunbarautomotive]

Long time no see 😊

[@victormuhairwe6289]

Please do you know any individual who designs engines especially diesel? I want to design and build a an engine

[@RubenRodriguez-ul6cv]

Hi, this is a great video, I always like the M120 engine. I have my project Ferrari 355 that I would like to put a M120 , I been thinking in removing and relocating the gas tank to have more space for this engine because this mid engine vehicle got a really short rear and is a mid engine car. Do you think it could be done? I don’t know how long is the M120. Thanks for your videos and advice.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Yeah that's not a bad idea the 355 Ferrari engine is pretty amazing though flat-plane crank with 5 valve per cylinder sounds so good. I guess the only thing that would sound better is a over Square v12! The V12 was pretty long I don't have exact numbers but it is going to be substantially longer than the Ferrari engine.

[@UKBUILT]

😮 Is the 355 engine running? I am building my dream V12 supercar with the M120

[@glen7201]

I worked for Toyota for 20 years and still prefer most of their products,that said, I am a huge m120 fan. I have an sl600 and I also have 2 complete m120s waiting for projects. I owned many Celica models over the years and I envision an m120 powered 84 gts coupe. I have my sl600 cat delete with otherwise stock exhaust and it sounds good as is,but if I ever drop one of these into something I would go with a longtube header for sure. What manual trans do you use along with your adapter plate?

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Currently we have the 350Z 370Z 6-speed transmission adapter plates for these. check the link in the description, and lead time is about 30 days on V12 stuff right now. I'm excited to come out with some more transmission options as well. A good friend of mine wants a 8HP70 box for his LS430 so I'll probable make that for him as well.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Probably also going to do T56, TR6060 for some people that are looking for support on those too.

[@Beckerhead]

Any way to get dimensions on these? Length (bellhousing to front of accessories) width at the widest point and height (oil pan to intake manifolds) and weight (with accessories as sort of a pull out)

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Width on the M120 widest part of the throttle bodies is 32.0625", if you go off of the widest part of the intake manifold no TB it is 24.25". The left side has the oil filter boss sticking out awkwardly which you can relocate easily. Front to back its 31.75". Top of intake to bottom of oil pan is 26.125" these are all rough dimensions please don't use them for anything critical.

[@randywatsonii3173]

thanks for those measurements, that’s a big help for sure. You guys wanna do the swap on my C3 for content? I have the M120 with 92xxx. Engine bay is empty on the Vette. That’d be fantastic lol! Anyway thanks for the dimensions

[@mikelmarion]

@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollinshow do these measurements compare to the 1GZ?

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

@mikelmarion that's a good question I'll have to open up the scans and measure them accordingly. There is many levels of the 1gz that you can take apart as opposed to the m120 meaning you can take the upper intake manifolds off and create a block off plate to make them shorter in height and then remake the intake plenum. You can also remove the plenum switching valve Reservoir which sticks out to make it a little bit thinner as well.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

​@@randywatsonii3173yeah we could work something out potentially. We would need a high quality 3D scan of the engine bay back to the differential to get anything started.

[@mikelmarion]

Any updates?

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Yes we have the head flanges done and are finishing the engineering on an equal length header system right now

[@mikelmarion]

@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins have you guys got a bigger deep dive into both engines coming? Would be cool to see the differences in approach to both V-12’s.

[@johnathancrumm]

I have been setting my heart on the 1gzfe for my Pontiac lemans and so it’s the Toyota v12 for me. It’s also to go without saying, that I will be needing your adapter for my turbo 400 to have until I get rid of the transmission that came mated to the v12.

[@AliasProductions801]

Since this video released the M120s cost the same as 1GZs now hahaha That said I’m really looking into a V12 swap for a Lotus Esprit. Hardly anyone makes a transaxle solution for either of these though. Only thing I could find was an adapter for a PDK. This is going to be a tough one to get going haha.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Have you thought about the O1E transmission? They a 5-speed but very plentiful for a mid-engine type scenario. We have an O1E here we can pull data off of...

[@UKBUILT]

A lotus build sounds cool 😍 I am building my dream V12 supercar

[@chrisJordan-xb9wc]

for the pdk you could look into htg tunings gcu, they were known for having issues atleast for 8hps but supposedly have fixed alot of them. basically a standalone ecu but for a transmission instead of an engine

[@bobolulu7615]

Whats more important, is what is the total length of these engines, from the back of the bellhousing mount surface, to the front of the crankshaft pulley. We need to know if these engines will fit first!!

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

I can get that data for you guys it's just going to be a minute.

[@mikelmarion]

@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins any updates on that data? Would love to see how this compare to other popular engines dimension wise ls series, k series,1/2jz vr38tt vk56 etc

[@georgef1176]

You can thank Hartley Engineering in Australia for the bump in price on those Toyota v12s

[@allandriver2066]

I'm Aussie....but Hartley are 100% New Zealand.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Hahaha you don't want to confuse the AUS/NZ paradigm as it's insulting to both parties if you confuse the two. Yeah Nelson is buying them all up, can't hate him for it as he's doing good work with them!

[@zeecee9479]

Been making any 1GZ parts since making this video??

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Yes, we now have both 1GZFE "BK" A650 (6-speed auto) bellhousing adapters and the 1GZFE "C" (5-speed auto) Bellhousing adapters for CD009/350Z 6-speed manual transmission adapter plates. We also have the header flanges knocked out too.

[@UKBUILT]

I would love to see a dry sump kit 😍

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

Yeah? It is really expensive and primarily for racing purposes. Also production costs are pretty wild to get something like that going if you're seriously interested.

[@UKBUILT]

​@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollinsit would be nice if someone made one, just the sump part. Multistage pumps are easy enough to find. I have my own CNC machines so I am not the best initial customer. It may be easier to modify sumps 😎 the main benefit for the m120 Is to reduce the height of the engine. If someone made a bunch of $1k accessories for the M120 I bet they would sell. Reduced height sumps, cams, rods, pistons, intake, exhausts, clutch adapters. It seems like you have a good stockpile of them. At some point I would like to bring mine upto the 700hp NA spec. I will be hunting for parts later down the line. There's almost zero companies supporting these old V12s.

[@spud3861]

@@CollinsGarage_Crett_BollinsI’m also interested in a dry sump pan to reduce the total height of the engine

[@BenzAddiction]

Great info mate, thank you.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

No problem 👍

[@jak404]

What's the weight of the 1gzfe?

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

its pretty heavy, I will have to weigh it when I get home, Its got to be near 655ish if my research is correct, +/- 30lbs.

[@mikelmarion]

@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollinsit’s around 605 lbs I think

[@JCab13]

You want the M120 cause its the same motor in the Pagani Zonda and thats a beautiful car

[@bernardwarr4187]

You need to change the cams in those M120, sure will make them wild

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

do you have a lead on some cams? I'm keen!!

[@dangunit69]

@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins It looks like Gooichi is offering a CNC ported head with custom valvetrain, billet camshafts, and ITB options. They are reworking the M120 to rev in the 9-10,000 rpm range, and while I haven't seen their engines run, or seen specific flow/power numbers yet, there might be some options there to suit your needs, so you might want to check them out. Cheers.

[@mumblety96]

@@dangunit69 link?

[@patrickvanderveen4945]

​@@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollinswhat about the cams of an c36 in-line 6???

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

​@@patrickvanderveen4945 not sure if that would cross right over. Has the firing order might be different with a V12.

[@karlvanboxel561]

6500$ NZ for a Igzfe in NewZealand crazy. I’ve got a 1 uz fe I paid 1400 for worth a little more. Now but gd value

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

100% we are now deep diving into the 3UZ-FE and have full CAD data of the entire engine and have developed more parts for it now. We have a 3UZ-FE to FRS, GT86, BRZ adapter/flywheel for this now, and header flanges as well.

[@Chevvygone132]

Cheapest m120 I can find is almost 5k vs the 1gz thats 3k

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

car-part.com for the win to find long blocks etc

[@georgef1176]

I had a 2001 s600 v12 that car was very heavy and still ripped. You’re much smarter to make supporting parts for that engine. They are plentiful and cheap and far better than the Toyota.

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

I still have my M137 car in the back. What are the only things I don't like about the m137 is the driver side cam is easily controlled by the computer and for whatever reason they shut off that bank of cylinders for many different reasons. When the engine goes into limp mode it cuts off that side of the block and only runs on the passenger side. There's a lot of different oil channels and a controller that can go bad. Also the spark plug coil packs are $2,000 if they go bad. Which is pretty steep for somebody to maintain a 20 year old engine. That's not to say that we're going to not develop parts for it but we are definitely going to get somebody to edit the OEM computer to keep both Banks working full-time.

[@TurbotohtoriTube]

M120 is does not have coil on plug.

[@AlpinaBiturbo346]

M120 is regardless the overall best V12 ,, ever made and constructed in a passenger vehicle

[@UKBUILT]

I am still excited to see what you do with your m120's. I am building my dream V12 supercar with my m120 😎

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

That's awesome! tag us in some of the builds on Instagram if you want so we can see the progress @collinsgarage

[@allandriver2066]

When it breaks (which it will) .....you will regret your choice. I hope you prove me wrong .

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

I daily drive the S600 in the video and the engine itself is pretty stout. It hasn't needed much other than plugs, oil, normal maintenance to be honest..

[@davydoo81]

It’s pronounced “hale-tech”.

[@dimkanon9093]

Недавно купил себе за 40к рублей м120, это 500$

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

That is such a good deal! I wish they were that cheap here in the states!

[@C0rvette454]

Sell me a m120

[@UKBUILT]

😍

[@freestyleskyline]

60° V12 buddy. Not v8.... And they make 350ft tq vs 300hp.... They make 300 at only 1000rpm though

[@sveingustafson5120]

'promosm'

[@CollinsGarage_Crett_Bollins]

not really, we don't spend any money on advertising for stuff like this, this is really just a passion project before V12's are non-existent anymore.