Automatic to 360/4-speed conversion

Well, though I am far from this, I'm considering converting my automatic (column shifter) transmission to a 4-speed manual transmission when I drop my 360 into my '68 Valiant. I have never done this before, so it's new territory for me and it's just an idea that I'm considering, but have some questions about. I would like opinions on this too.

Okay for the questions part:

How much fabricating do I need to do into order to swap an auto trans to a manual trans?

Are the transmission tunnels different for the auto to the manual?

How much time and money would the conversion cost (the manual transmission itself, linkages, shifter, clutch, etc)?

How would I be able to disable and possibly remove the column shifter from the steering wheel?

Is it bad to "hack" apart the trans tunnel/floor to put the trans and shifter in?

What are the difficult parts of doing this process?

Overall I would probably need the step-by-step process for doing this. I see many people doing it for their cars and it would be pretty fun to drive. I love driving manual and want to turn my 4-door Valiant into a little performance valiant. :D

Now, what do all you you FABO people think of this? Good idea? Bad idea? Should I just leave it auto, slap a 727 in there and call it a day? Honestly I just want to go as fast as I can from the 360 I'm building...I like the fact that the manual has an extra gear, which can help with performance and a bit of fuel economy. What would be the best bet to go fast? I mean like have great acceleration (building my 360 for low-mid end power/torque) which practically pins you to your seat? I know the gear ratios are a factor there and I'm aiming for a very high 2 to a low 3 rear-end gear. Sorry if this is a lot, I hope I got my point across. ANY HELP/ADVICE IS MUCH APPRECIATED!