Even here in Florida, if you really piss off a cop, he can have you pop your hood and start writing tickets. While this is less common with Domestic drivers here, it can still happen. This is why my modified cars tend to be subdued in their appearance, or old enough that no one cares. I'm currently planning the crossbreeding of a RWD 80's BMW 3 series with either an American or Japanese powertrain ( read my GRM $2K8 post...), but "...when finished, the monster must appear to be stock..." to quote one of my all time favorite shows. I'm thinking Ford 4.6 4V/T45 or 4th gen F body 3800 V6/T5 with an Eaton blower. Maybe even a Nissan VQ35DE or a Ford 2.3 turbo/T-5. While under the hood may change, I will try to keep the exterior normal looking and the exhaust will be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible. With only 2500-2700 lbs to move, however, it will not take a lot of power to be fun. If interested in what one of these things can do swapped, look up "LS1 E30" as a search term on Google.
