I appreciate the information, I have been contemplating a small block ford swap (purely political) as well and I would actually prefer to go V8. The 4.2L w/AX-15 came about when a friend located the 4.2L AX-15 combo and knew I was considering some kind of drivetrain upgrade when my AX-5 went out on me.
I'm in the position now that I can either repair the AX-5 I have, replace it with a new "5", swap the AX-5 for an AX-15, my preferred route, or go all in and do the V8 swap. I have the 2.5L and going back to the "5" doesn't set well when I know the "15" would be so much better.