Hi folks. I have a question I suspect the technical experts here would know. Hope you can take a moment to help.

I have a C43 and was contemplating a 5.5L engine swap. The engine I'm considering is out of a 1999 E55, with very very low miles (ala CarFax). Seems it was hardly used by the owner over the years. The car was totalled in Feb of 2003. So my questions are...

- Also, I have the VIN and engine serial number. Is there a way for me to ensure they are "numbers matching" and that that engine actually came out of that car, thus I can at least be sure of its milage?

- Car was totalled from a front hit. Can a front impact affect the harmonic balancer, and thus affect the internals of the engine through the crank?

- I surmize the engine hasn't been run for two years. I seriously doubt the engine was the equivalent to being "winterized", or whatever it is to allow an engine to sit idle for a long time w/o degredation. Is this true?

Should I stay away? Or are my concerns un-founded?

If I should consider it, is there any qualified techs here who wouldn't mind making some extra $$$ and go check out this engine for me in Milwaukee WI? Please PM me if so. I'm seriously considering this engine and need someone who knows MB engines well and can act as an agent and technical expert for me; check it out and let me know if I can trust this engine.

Best Regards,
Steve