The right induction, cam, valves and tuning can take any US 280E up almost 50% on power from about 142 HP to 210 hp. The same applies to the Ford 200 six...despite the differences, a two valve per cylinder engine via ohv can run on 280E AMG logic, and get similar performance. The MB M110 head is very much like the Aussie Crossflow, but its got a valve bank angle that is steep, and it has some very odd valve shapes, restrictive guides in the early versions, and they did a huge amount of flow bench work from 1973 to 1985, and the engine was kept allive for the Steyr Putch G wagon, which used it with later V8 style 9mm guides after the 1983 revison. The twin cam means you can taylor the intake and exhaust events easily, and the chain driven cam system is a masterpiece of simplicity and accuracy.
A little bit more on those early 2.8 liter M110 Twin Cam Benzes, like the W114, W123 or W126, the 280, 280s, 280c, 280ce, 280e, 280se to compare.
I've got dibs on a W114 250 with a with a European high compression D jetronic 280E conversion, with later S class mag wheels with some 225 and 235/45VR17's. I'm looking at it for my daughter, who is a hairdressor, and I figure a little snob value wouldn't gpo amiss for her. Benzes aren't my bag, but with stock 4-bbl, D, and K jetronic double knockers and a well sorted steering and IRS and braking system, you could do a lot worse than the old 1974 Right Hand drive specimen my machinst has been trying to flog off.
I've got access to heaps and heaps of old Mercedes Benzes, they were very popular, and like Huston, some parts of New Zealand are Junk yard Capital of the Benz world for these.
In those engines, there were European and US emissions engines, the Euro carb 4-bbl and Esprinz (injection) did 185 hp or 210 hp, the US varied from 130 to about 145 hp.
They all ran thick guides, but very short intake and exhaust valves, with complicated thick lash caps to allow high lift via 2" free lenght supple double valve springs. The exhaust valves were sodium cooled in two sizes of guide, the early one about 11 mm, the later one 9mm. They have a kind of Lima/I4/Pinto style mechanical lash adjustment and they do drop the odd valve only if trashed, not well oiled and not checked for valve clearance. When a sodium valve drops, it can take the block out because MB's run a fairly thin iron block, and they rev out to 5800 or 6300 rpm. The valve system is very good, but the lash caps and rockers
must be very well maintained, or they cause the valve spring rotators to do wacky stuff, and the valves to wear in a manner which ensures they gall in hard driven situations. In those cases, despite the over engineered work the engineers at Damiler Benz did, they ulimately are at risk of dropping a valve, the intakes first, or then the exhausts with spectacular Chernbol like disarangements.
The truly greast thing about the M110 is that plenty of people in the US and the world over a re still working on them, but they tend to use titanium valves and NASCAR rods, and often drop in a set of DCOE 40's.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/per ... hread.html
With upgrades to AMG spec below, the European versions already great out put went from 185hp at 6000rpm to 210 at 6300 rpm, a 13.6% boost
Torque rose from 175.8lb-ft at 4500 to to 184.3lb-ft at 5000 rpm, a 4.8% boost
Later K Jetronic were 185 at 5800 and 177 at 4500 rpm.
The early over-size AMG valves were used on the speed density Bosch D Jetronic 210 hp version. It ran a 270/280 duration cam set with 0.433/0.413 valve lift with 23_72 and 67_28 at lash opening and closing valve timing. They were pretty rare, but the 210 hp version had 45.2mm intake (1.78") and 39.1mm exhaust (1.539") valves, sodium again for the exhaust. Mike at Metric Motors in California, USA, and Dbilas Dynamic in Germany have them.