where do you guys stand on this idea?

There is a stroker kit for the 4.0 that makes it IIRC 268-270 CID, and a T5 manual trans from a Mustang is a bolt on! ...also easy late 4.0 EFI and upgrade head!

I found this stuff out while researching the possibility of purchasing a 67 AMC rebel wagon with a factory 4 speed (and the 4.0's pre-cursor, a 258 ).