Boredom + lunch = trouble...

I was poking around on MB-World and saw a thread on a C43, which got the gears to turning... The C43 (and the 430 motor, for that matter) were widely available in the early 2000's and were used in a chassis similar to ours.

While it's not the monster that Beaner, Jim, or Paul has, it's certainly "peppy" with the C43 V-8's being factory rated at 302HP, 302TQ... numbers that my N/A M-112 motor will struggle to see.

I ran a quick search on car-part.com and immediately came up with a dozen or so C43 longblocks, a few below $2,000...

So here's the main question: is it worth the wear and tear on the hen's @ss, so to speak? I know the aftermarket was soft on the 430 motors, but basics such as a Eurocharged tune, mild exhaust work, etc should be able to squeeze a few more ponies out of it. I'm thinking with some persuasion, we might be able to retrofit a NW intake. But that's down the road.

Plus, it would be an inexpensive start (yes, I know the motor is always the cheapest part) to hearing a V-8 rumble in the Crossfire.

The 55 motor is a behemoth and, I know I'm a sick puppy, but I want to retain my 6-speed. Hence the reason I'm even considering the smaller 430/43 motor over the 55/55Kompressor motors. I know the 6-speed has torque limitations that come into play.

The regular 430 motor has ~275hp, and the 43 motor has +28 hp. Still well below SRT numbers but it will be a sweet-sounding mamma jamma.

Thoughts? I am, after all, just thinking out-loud myself.