Originally Posted by ChuckNorris
I think I am going to use a Chevy 5.3 and trans out of a truck with a GTO front sump oil pan if it will fit. It has aftermarket support, its extremely affordable, and should get great mileage.
That would be a great choice due to the shear number of parts available for that engine. One thing I thought of was that you're probably going to need to get your car to think it's a manual since you won't have any input from the transmission and that could make the whole thing a bit hairy when trying to get the electronics you're gonna keep in the car from going nuts.