It's nice as hell outside and I've left my girl in storage because I've been saving for shocks... Damn winters, and damn shocks being so expensive!
Why not bottle feed an Ls or turbo it? The Ls is a strong block. If you really want a budget engine, a dohc jdm f22 isn't too bad of a choice. Too bad they have no aftermarket support...
And what about a 1st gen b16 with a hydro tranny?