Well... got the engine in, no transmission currently bolted to it as the adapter plate I bought for the 2004R, in combination with the actual mounting surface of the transmission, hits the firewall. The engine fits VERY tight. I blame Tincup's pictures for somehow making me think that I would have more room inside the engine bay. I now find myself very confused as to what I will do for headers. Anyhow, I was leaning towards swapping out the auto for a stick and this has pretty well convinced me to move forward with doing so. Currently trying to figure out exactly what parts I will need to mount the MA5 5-speed behind this 5.7 hemi. Quite a bit of information on the web about these kinds of swaps but as with anything, it's all in the details. Been in a bit of a slump lately about the car and getting the engine in has helped to motivate me(by recommendation of some coworkers). I intend to do updates more often and hopefully make some meaningful progress. I can confirm for those of you with early A's, 5.7 hemi's, and the Alterktion front suspension(a fair minority I assume), that the A/C compressor will indeed fit with the power steering rack. I was just about giddy when I saw this confirmed. I'll get more pictures later. Thanks to those of you that still follow this and I promise I'm not giving up on the car.
-Ryan