crate engine

I am thinking about putting a crate engine in my 96 3.8 LX. What is the biggest size v6 crate engine I can get for my car? my cousin said to get a 302. Im not sure if that is a v8 or not though.. Im not gonna do a v8 conversion. I just wanna stronger engine for my car, but not too expensive. Ive heard I can get a crate engine for under a thousand bucks. Anybody got any info that might help me? thanks. Rick

a 4.2 should work, it's still a v6 but I don't know what kind of work you would need to do to the electrical system, accessories, etc. to make it work. A 302/5.0 is a v8.

how many HP is the 4.2 rated at? Is it easier to mod than the 3.8? do you think I would have an easier time getting another 3.8 and modding it rather than the 4.2, or is the 4.2 better in all aspects? sorry for so many questions, but Ive never done an engine swap. Is there a link you know of that I could read the info so I dont have to ask you a bazillion questions? lol... thanks... Rick