The transmission question might be better in its own thread, in fact several questions might to get the attention and answers from those who know.

The engine swap question is one that's been covered here before, kind of a popular question for 3.5L owners, if you were closer I'd probably be interested. Find an engine from an SDL or D as mentioned above, they happen. If you're not concerned about using a mid-life engine it shouldn't be too expensive, if you want a fresh engine, it's going to easily double the price of the project.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff