Help needed

[Blizzard]

So I posted this on another forum and then was told about this place also...

Ok So this being my first post let me give some background info...

My name is Cliff and I am currently a student in Aerospace Engineering at Mississippi State University and am also employed at the Raspet Flight Research Lab for the school. At the lab we have a M38 that was once used as our fire truck until a few years back when it was loaned to the glider club who ran it low on oil and developed a knock. Due to the economy being how it is now we have had nothing to do so a few days back myself and another worker began the tare-down in order to pull the engine and rebuild it. Here comes the bad news, once we got the motor on the stand and pulled the rod caps we find that the rod bearings on the 3rd and 4th cylinders have ground in to nothing, which was thought to be the case when a ton of metal shavings were found in the oil pan. The motor is not original to the jeep, it had been replaced in '88 with an F-head and a hole cut in the hood to accommodate it, and seems to be a rebuilt engine because the crank has already been turned once.

So here is the dilemma. The lab is low on money and is not wanting to pay a lot for repairs but many of us here would like to save the jeep from the scrap yard and return it to its duties as our fire truck. So I am here to ask for your help in saving this Jeep, we are in need of a new crank and badly need a new wiring harness and am asking for donations on these parts but am also willing to trade the entire F-head motor for a L-head motor. Any help would be much appreciated and I am trying to find out if donations can be used as tax credits. if you have any questions, feel free to ask here or you can email me at cm578@msstate.edu or ckidmcd@yahoo.com.