[Frank Lee]

I think the path of least resistance if often the best one to take; many of us suffer from delusions of grandeur in our ability- technical or motivational- to complete such a project (noodling it and starting it is the easy part).

It would also help to evaluate your usage patterns- lots of city and mixed city/rural driving is where hybrid tech really shines; mostly highway cruising like I have wouldn't pay off.

Is the stock engine worn out? What would the car's economy be with a stock overhaul or even lightly modified like "RV cam", hot ignition, and the like.

Next step up in effort and expense is an engine swap. There are loads of more modern, more efficient engines to choose from. Maybe swapping in a modern 5 speed transmission along with a new engine would be the way to go. I can see a 3-cyl/5sp m/t Swift drivetrain moving that car right along while being efficient.

Or add an electric motor. EMer Brucey did but he didn't rave about the results. His was a helper, used on acceleration. I'd do a standalone, divorced from the ICE.

P.S. Doing the EV part is possible on a small budget. Study up on MetroMPG's EV projects.