Re: Who's gonna be the first ?
I posted this thread to provoke a little discussion, looks like it's working!
That's why this forum is so cool. The members are very diverse and have strong opinions. Proves that Crossfire owners are by nature a pretty independent bunch.
First of I'll readily concede some things...
Engine swaps are always more complicated/expensive than they first appear. This is especially true with modern cars and their complex electronics.
Secondly, these 3.2 M-B motors are beautiful pieces of engineering. I've downloaded a service manual and the specs are impressive; metal chain cam drives, all forged internals, cross-bolted mains, windage tray and cool little oil jet spray nozzles on the rotating assembly. So yes these motors are tough and will probably last a good long time. I sure hope mine does! Most Benz motors are good for 200K with reasonable care.
But...there sure is a long history of sports car/hotrod hybrids. AC Ace /V8 Ford=Cobra, Sunbeam Alpine/V8 Ford=Tiger, Jensen Interceptor w/big block Mopar, De Tomaso Pantera w/Ford 351, and check our "Grass Roots Motorsports" two thousand dollar challenge cars; Datsun/Nissan "Z" cars w/V8s, Mazda RXers w/V8s. You name it, if it's small and cool looking, somebody will stuff a V8 into it! I went to a car show a couple of weeks ago and saw a '87 Porsche 944 with a Corvette LT1 under the hood. Turns out there's a shop in Vegas that specializes in stuffing v8s into Porsches, including 911s!
I bet that "rotates" pretty well...
Cheers,
Slim