What a fuckstain. Did you ask how many motor swaps he did in his "years" of being a mechanic, and how many wreckers specifically state cambelt must be replaced for warranty purpose. Insurance companies are fucking parasites.
Can't be many shops who could do a proper metal finish though, hence the 4" of bog in your case.
Pretty piss poor if they were offered a replacement panel and said no though!
Haha,we did this with a big flathead screwdriver to a mates old Sunny way back when, made it sound like it had some grunt. The mid 90's was so much more relaxed on "mods" like that
Don't go too overboard on a 3K, you'll never make big power out of it, and if you overcam it it'll be a horrid bag of shit to drive. Stick with a mild cam and 6k redline, it'll be heaps more fun to drive
Nothing says manly like a massive old M tooth crosscut saw. If I ever won powerball I'd be 100% up for buying a bushblock and trying to build my own place like that.
I'd die in the process of course, but it would be a great story for my kids to tell their kids