As far as the drivetrain goes the original 6 was considered as was a Y-block with a T5 5 speed behind them. I ended up deciding I wanted a late model fuel injected V8 along with a manual 5 speed. I had an all aluminum Lincoln 4.6 4V V8 and a Mustang 3650 5 speed along with harness sitting here but my son talked me out of it for a project he is working on.

In the end I decided to find a late model Explorer with a 5.0 and rob it of it's engine, computer and 8.8 posi rear axle. An '87 C4 Corvette front IFS was chosen for it's width, brakes, cool aluminum a-arms and the ease of adaptability of the stock Corvette crossmember to the Ford frame. Yes cost was a consideration here also. $450 shipped on the C4 stuff from Michigan and $850 for a totaled, running '97 Mountaineer with 87,000 miles on it. With scrap prices being what they are right now I should be able to recoup a big chunk of the Mountaineer cost from the aluminum rims, catalytic converters and body....along with the sale of a few odds and ends on Craigslist.