Thanks for all the responses and the breakdown of models. My main criteria for a phone is different than most people, I never use social media, seldom access the Internet and mostly just want reliable phone service and texting without invasive ads, some note taking and decent photos. Size is most crucial, I just want it to fit comfortably in my front pocket - and I don't want to spend much more than $50. The Nexus 4 is just over this size, but it's the smallest I can find that supports UT at this time. I had been using a WebOS Palm Pixi for the longest time, still the best phone I have owned.
I have not noticed overheating problems but again I don't really use my phone that much during the course of the day. UT runs fine, maybe not super speedy but not any slowness that I find noticeable. I have a handful of other issues that irk me but I want to have a phone to clone so I can safely re-install UT to see if that clears any of them up.
I will pick up another E960 and continue to experiment with alternate OSs. I like UT but still curious to see how something like Paranoid Android works. It also supports the Nexus 4.
Thanks again, really appreciate the advice