I'd stay with the 4.3 V6 in hopes of not having to do major surgery to the nose to get it to fit. Then, I'd whipple supercharge it and mate it to a TH350.

Front suspension should be torsion bar (maybe cut out the front of an Isuzu P/U thay have a boxed frame with twin "A" arms and torsion bars) to save space for the engine and the rear should be a 2 speed Halibrand adapted to airbags.

Body? Black laquer on the wood with red laquered accents and matching red on the steel bits. A luminous ghost flame job on the hood/front fender area and the thing might look cool. The "grille" needs to be opened up all the way to the chrome ring that surrounds the current grille. Smooth out the turn indicators and put turn bulbs inside the headlamp housings. Remove the daft hood ornament, grille badge, push gaurds on the bumper and relocate the mirrors to where god intended them (on the top doorframe).

That's a good start IMO.

Abe

P.S. Street is this a "Kidney pie burner"?