[bobcowan]

500hp, with good drivability. Good goals. The magic 500hp number is a little more difficult to obtain than most people think. You hear that magic number all the time. But most owners can't show you a dyno sheet to back it up.

To make that much power, you have to move a lot of air. That means either a lot of displacement, or forced induction. I suppose you could get there with nitrous, but that's not really what you're after.

For simplicity and durability on a moderate budget, I prefer more displacement. Think about a stock block 393. If you can get your hands on a '69 351W block, consider a 427. The Dart Sportsman block is the best, but may not be budget friendly.

Call Mike Forte or Gordon Levy and have one of them build something for you. They have many years of experience doing exactly this.