Geo Tracker Sleeper (wanting tips/help)

Hey there, I just joined here! So my first car was a 1996 Geo Tracker, the 3 speed automatic 2 door soft top version. Eventually I will be buying a beater much like it, and I was going to make it a sleeper. Since I'm still in the research stages, I would like to gather some of your guy's tips on this upcoming project.

So to begin, I thought I would start dirt cheap and simple, and worry about reliability later on since I have another vehicle already. Seeing that the third generation Ford Taurus sedan is a very plentiful model that always sells dirt cheap (From their questionable reliability, as I have heard) I would think that's a good start since it has decent power and from my previous experience doesn't have heat issues. I know it's definitely not that fast at all, but hey, it's a start and quicker than the stock 1.6L I4 the Trackers come with. Would that engine even fit in a first gen tracker? I've seen Ford 302 engine swaps in Trackers, but not many other engines.

As for transmissions, I'm all ears, I don't have any in mind quite yet, but hey, if a third gen Taurus sedan transmission would fit, then that's a plus, since I could just buy an entire Taurus and swap all the engine/transmission.

If you have better recommendations, do share. I would like to keep parts under $1000.

Taurus is fwd, not sure how you would adapt that transmission into a tracker. There is not enough room to mount the engine sideways like in the taurus to run the front wheels