Idiot 84 introduction and some engine questions

[Idiot84]

Introduction:
Hi all, my forum name is Idiot84. Idiot, because I have stupid and/or crazy idea's, and 84 as my year of birth. (previous century ofcourse) I have no intrest of owning a Volvo, nor have I ever owned one. Oh, and I am from the Netherlands, so don't mind the typing errors.

Q&A
Q: why do you call yourself an idiot?
A: I will talk about my stupid idea, and then you will know why...

Q: if you aren't into Volvo's, why are you here then?
A: because I like the BHP output of the T6 engines.

Q: aah, the good old (new) T6 engines... What about them?
A: need some more information about them, and their AWD gearboxes.

Q: what cars are you into then, if they aren't Volvo's?
A: there is only 1 type of car for me, the Ford Escort MK4 convertable.

Q: I really don't understand why you are here. Please tell us your story/idea's.
A: ok, here it goes.

The idea:
So I have this Ford Escort MK4 convertable. Not to much rust, but has been repainted by a guy with a cheap spray gun and a brush. (really, a brush...) Really into this kind of car. Like the simple styling, and the reputation it has in my country. Cheap crappy car with no performance whatsoever. But the mk1-2-5 and up where fairly good with rally races. And there are some turbo engines out there, which can be bolted into a mk4 convertable. I had the idea to make it a semi show car, semi race car and a full-time sleeper car. Keeping the exterior and interior stock, while fixing everything up, make it nice and shiny, and make it really go. Let's call this idea "stage 1".
Stage 2 would be putting in a completely different engine in, with a completely new drivetrain/suspension. All modern and brand new, and keeping stock looks from the outside.
You've guessed it, there is a stage 3 idea. (and this is why my name is "Idiot84") Building a replica of the Escort mk4 convertable. Tubular/backbone frame. Poly body panels. Huge engine, very light, stock interior, stock looking exterior. Not the boy racer idea. Not a true rally car. Not a true race car. But something between a daily driver and a race car, if you get my drift.

I don't know much about the Volvo world, but it sounds like a sensible world. Nothing to crazy, and things like that. But if you have been looking at crazy projects, you might find a few people who have been bolting BMW m3 engines in some old crappy and slow cars. Other engines which come out of very sporty cars, have also been botched into cars like that. Although the idea is great, it has been done before... Many times... Nothing special. So what would be a high horse power engine, which isn't that well know amongst tuners and such? (for as far as I know ofcourse...) Indeed, the T6 4wd engine. 300 BHP sounds like plenty to me. So why not put one of those in a tubular chasis with a poly body ontop?

There are however a few problems. Stage 3 would be my dream car. But it will cost alot of money to build. Stage 1 and 2 will also cost huge amounts of money, and might even be more difficult, since you need to work around the original car. Starting with the stage 3 idea would be more simple, since you have to keep things only inside the body panels. No origional frame which will be in your way. It also skips all the expences for Stage 1 & 2. So let's start dreaming about Stage 3, and forget about Stage 1 & 2.

So here are a few questions I have...
1: The (newer) T6 engines usually have an automatic transmission. Are there any 4wd manual transmissions out there? (can't really find them that well) And if there isn't, which kind of transmission would work best/would be able to fit with some work? (not going for very high speeds, just want to be ABLE to reach the 130 km/h mark first, and a top speed of 250 would be perfectly fine)

2: What are the complete dimensions of the standard drivetrain parts? (so I can figure out how well it would fit within my body shell, or how much enginering costs would be involved) Also need to know how far the engine sticks out infront of the front drivetrain axles.

3: What is the exact engine height. (since the body isn't that big...)

4: Can the oil pan be adapted, to decrease engine height? (putting the engine lower would mean better handling)

5: Are there any tuning specialists out there working on T6 engines?

6: How much would the price tag be, to get +/- 500 BHP from the engine, while keeping durability?

7: Modern T6 engines produce about 300 BHP. The older ones produce "only" 272 BHP. How much different are they, and would it perhaps be wise to buy one of those?

8: Lots of T6 engines have lots of miles on them. How bad is that. What would be the limit before you guys would consider an engine as a replacement for your own worn-out engine? (and can it be fixed up again at the cheap?)

PS thingy:
*PS: This entire project is just a dream at this moment. I have poor fabricating skills, and not that many tools. I am at this moment also strapped for cash, so don't expect a build post next week. It's more like a 10 years project. (although I hope it would just be 5 years)

Thanks:
Thanks for reading, and I hope you Volvo-heads can give me some usefull advice! Keep in mind, doesn't have to be sencible, and sorry for the typ0's.

[Logan360]

Any particular reason why it has to be a 4wd setup? Can't you use a S80 T6? Also weird ideas and sleepers are what makes the Volvo scene what it is. From the 2 jz 240s and ls1 740s, to slightly more tame 360s that are having a 2.3 litre twin cam (big deal with old volvos) twin supra turbo motors built in my shed. I think with a T6 a simple chip and tune can up the power, but don't quote me. T6 isn't anywhere near as commonly worked on as jz s and rbs

[Antz]

My worry would be putting that power through an old wobby mk4 Escort cabriolet is going to bend it like nothing. Those things weren't the most rigid to start with and a tuned RS Turbo lump doesn't do them much good because of this so a massive power T6 is going to be far far worse.

Handling will be an issue because itll always flex unless its braced to hell and weighs a million tonnes, then there's the fact its a big heavy engine in a car designed for a light 4 cylinder which will make it nose heavy.