Here's my take on the various suppliers of conversion kits:
Renegade is probably tops. They are way too darn expensive, but that is to be expected for specialty items with a very limited market. They have the strongest customer service, and that is important. i know Scott Mann and Chris from renegade and I met the other owner at Pomona last week. good people, straight shooters.
Rod Simpson is a real nice guy, talked to him on the phone a couple times. Very helpful. I do not like his cooling system, too many headaches. Renegade's is much better IMO, but at nearly a grand it better be. A cheaper alternative is to buy a large aluminum Griffin radiator from Summit racing for around $180. Mine was 27" x 17 1/2" and laid down at about a 45 degree angle. Don't scrimp on fans or ducting work.
i did some checking into Red Dawg, seemed to me like they were running the business out of a garage. I don't like the idea of exhausting the hot air through the floor, that is a problem.
just about everyone uses Kennedy clutch and adapter parts. go direct and save $$
www.kennedyeng.com
Total cost of the conversion should be around
$2500 not counting the engine or car. That includes stiffer rear springs. all other upgrades like wheels, brakes, etc. will be in addition to that figure.
AC will also cost more, not sure how much.
Not cheap, but supercar performance.
I figure the 901 tranny is only good for a relatively mild small block, unless it is a short stroke motor. Anything much over 350 hp (and around 385 ft. lbs. of torque) will probably overstress the tranny. A good one will probably still last for many thousands of miles under that much torque, but no guarantees.
I saw a couple 915 trannies for sale in
www.recycler.com recently in the $800 range. That would be the way to go for a big horsepower motor. The conversion calso osts plenty to install the 915.