I have a reccommendation.

Firewall. Thick firewall.

Fuel cell. You'll have to move your gas tank to the front of the car for safety reasons.

And if you want a fast car when you're done, then use a Cadillac Northstar V8. I'm pretty sure it would fit. It fits in a Fiero without overheating. You'll already have to make custom everything to make anything fit, why not go big? I bet that sucker would run 9's and be hella-fun in burnout competitions.