I was working in the parts department at a fairly large BMW, FIAT, Subaru & VW dealership when FIAT officially pulled out of the US market back in the early '80s. I owned a '76 128 (from new) at the time. The issue, as we knew it, being in the northeast US part of the rust belt, was that a majority of these cars would be several years old and literally collapse on their suspension, such was the corrosive issue. It was a shame, really, because the engines would go like the proverbial, with proper maintenance, ie, timing belts (where necessary), regular oil & filter changes, valve shim adjustment, & etc.
My next job was as a parts guy at a foreign parts specialty house which had a workshop attached, in the same town. The owner, sadly now deceased, was a dedicated SCCA racer with his 128SP, 124 and Strada weekend racers, as were several of the mechanics, and a few customers. He approached his connections at FIAT and we got to be a certified warranty and maintenance shop for FIAT's left-in-the-lurch customers. It was a busy little Connecticut River Valley college town with a load of foreign car customers. We had access to OEM parts and factory tools, plus the combined knowledge of the technicians.
It's good to see your project, regardless of your using an 'other brand' engine. It brought back some wonderful memories for me. I continued the 'parts guy' work throughout my working career through to retirement, shifting to BMW motorcycles eventually, a life-long joy of mine.
I'll keep an eye on your project, and thanks for posting it.