This could turn into a great project.
Don't let anyone tell you that you HAVE to keep the engine Mercedes-Benz.
I am certain there will be a few who will log in just to type that in.
With exception to the 500E/E500, these cars are practically worth nothing (300E, 400E, 300CE, E320, E420, etc.) and will most likely never go up in value. There are still so many of them on the road and you can do whatever you want to them.
I think an LS1 swap would be neat. Repair parts and upgrade parts are VERY easy to come by obviously, but since you are already on the West coast, you have a plethora of tuning and customization shops who can order or import what you need at any time.
Engine ideas:
- Toyota 2JZ-GTE Inline 6 (Japanese)
- Nissan RB26DETT Inline 6 (Japanese)
- Ford Falcon 4.0L Inline 6 (Australian)
- Chevy LS Series of V8s (American)
- Mazda Rotary 13B-REW or 20B-REW (Japanese)
My two favorite engines are inline 6s and rotaries.
As with all of these swaps, maybe the best method is to take the engine, transmission, and rear differential out of the car it is coming from and then have a custom drive shaft, and half axles made to adapt to the 300CE.
Of course there are other challenges such as mounting adapters, fuel line location, etc... but if you go through it all methodically...
