Thanks for the responses, and thanks for the offer richking, I can't believe how helpful everyone on here has been! I'm gonna go with diamond's plan. It seems the most manageable option, as antogoof has already found out! Sam...you are a mentalist! My brother likes your idea the most (he's the brave one in the family!).
Antogoof- how has the conversion gone? Any challenges fitting the engine, sub frame etc?
Thanks again everyone