We always get our machine work done by Chuck at Wakeman Auto. Yeah, it's a drive, but he does a hell of a job and reasonably priced. He is quick and gets our stuff done within a day or two. He doesn't talk down to us cause we don't have v8 stuff either, unlike our local machine shop.
Good luck with $1500.00. We have found out over the years that you get what you pay for. The setup in our Honda has been running strong for many years now after we learned that lesson and buying cheap parts. He drives it daily and runs the hell outta it, no trailer queen here.
Save up and turbo it, or just say screw it and have some fun. If you wanna sell the tranny, let me know. We need spare LS trans. as long as it's a manual I assume.