dohhahner

As many of you Chevrolet enthusiasts may know, the original NOVA was reincarnated in the 80's. Whether or not this was a good thing is not the point in question. I personally own an 88 Chevrolet Nova, with a SOHC 1.6L carbed engine and to this day has only 101k miles. The car itself is still original, aside from your common maintenance parts. I purchased it about three years ago with only 57k miles for a mere $600. Here's the thing however, it has little to no power, though it does get around 35 mpg. The replacement parts are getting harder and harder to find (thanks for scrapping all my Nova's), and style is withdrawn in turn for economy. Well, needless to say, I have some interesting aspirations for this vehicle. I do believe the few dents and scratches it has, I will remedy. I would like to also plate the outside with truck lining from the rockers up about 3" to keep the rust of the Toyota look alike. Now here's where things will get tricky. If I was interested in dropping a different engine and transmission into this box, what would my choices be without too many modifications? No I'm not saying I can't use a torch and a welder, but something tells me a 350 with a holly carb is going to be a little tight. Also, would it be wise to keep the same tranny and try to swap engines only? Or would it be better to do both? Well I'll let the community decide. I look forward to any input!