Yes, that was the intention. In fact, that is the only reason I was considering this car, given its distance from me. I've found a local 1980 300d that I was going to use for the swap, but the lure of a manual tranny is stronger than the extra cylinder.

I'm curious, were there many changes on the block/head? Would it be possible to swap over the later style accessories? I realize there is a conversion kit available for the GPs.

I guess changing the timing chain would be a good idea while the motor is out of the car.