Couldnt you toss a 5.4 with KB in there and achieve the same power for a fraction of the cost?
I wouldnt go E85 in this area. Thats a long way to rely on a getting to the gas station (7 miles). With a car that gets poor mpg lol. We had fun with that with an NGV civic that got 40mpg. Had a few oh shit moments with gas stations lol.
As to the 5.4. I looked and saw a built 5.4 MOTOR for around 20k. That's not much cheaper than my current plan AND the short block in that motor wasn't built to the specs I'm looking at with L&M. Ford Doesn't sell the 5.4 block any longer that I know of (let me know if I'm wrong), though MMR does (refurbished?) ALso the 5.4 Block weighs 100 more pounds if memory serves. If your gonna do it, do it right I figure. Catmonkey swapped his 5.4 for an ALuminum 5.8 for weight savings, better heat transfer/ power, etc. I would hate to work backwards.
On the E85 front, Believe me, I've thought of that. I never let my fuel levels get that low to begin with. I just get to know the gas station attendants like they are extended family!! Good news is that with the NGauge I could just toggle between tunes if it came down to it. If I was somewhere I couldn't get E85, I could just flash the 91 tune and fill up with regular gas. Your supposed to be next to empty before switching between E85 and pump gas anyway. As it stands I get 170 Miles per tank. Figure I'd get 25% LESS miles wtih E85, say 130 to tank. My driving universe is within a few miles of my house (work 1 mile from home for last 15 years) so I would never be in a situation where I was outside distance from E85 or pump gas. And I always fill up around 1/4 to 1/2 tank so I don't dredge up crap in bottom of fuel tank.