I have the opportunity to pick up a running, driving 93 Isuzu NPR 4BD2TC 3.9L turbo charged and inter cooled truck with a 6 speed auto for $500. It's a long drive, but I'm sure more than worth it.

What I've always wanted to is have a small 4x4 commuter that gets good mileage (I live in MN, and I drive 120 miles a day at least for work. As you can see the benefits of having a 4x4 that gets good mpg)

My dream at the moment is to buy this truck, and then find a late 90s or early 2000s S10 blazer, jimmy, etc (possibly a jeep Cherokee, though I'd like it to be GM) with a blown motor and a good body for cheap.

How hard would it be to shoe horn that 3.9 Isuzu into one of those? I have searched the web and cannot seem to find anyone who has done this conversion. It is an all mechanical motor as far as I know, and its not massive, so it shouldn't be hard I wouldn't think.

Does anyone have any insight on this? Could I keep the 6 speed auto (I would think it would help with economy as its a double OD, and I know I would need a divorced T-case if I kept that trans)? I figure it should be a 40+ mpg truck as it would be light and geared high. Plus it would be a cool, one-of-a-kind rig. But I have my hesitations since I can't find any info on anyone who has done this. I see a few full sized truck conversions, but I would rather have a mini truck/ suv for city parking, fuel economy, and power-to-weight ratio. I would imagine as easy as it is to put a V8 Chevy motor in an s10, there should be enough room for this motor.

Any advice and insight is appreciated. Thank you