Welcome to the VAF forum!
I can only suggest you build the plane YOU want and not the plane others want you to build.
The -9 is one of the easiest taildraggers I have ever flown and the visability out the front is outstanding. (Just don't ask about my taxi incident last year.)
I'm currently re-engining my -9 with an O-360 and you need to do some research before going there.
Van's max HP for the -9 is 160, which is more than enough, even out west, IMHO.
However, if you are going to put an O-360 & CS prop in your -9, you will want to go with a
Whirlwind prop or some other composite CS prop. This will help keep the weight of the combination in check. That and the WW CS prop is supposed to be very good.
The other things I have done to reduce weight is to use dual
P-mags,
Skytec Flyweight starter, and not add a bunch of bells and whistles to the plane. Put the
ECi tappered cylinders on the engine and you can save another six pounds up front.
Keep it simple and light and you will be very happy.