rsimoes~~
In my research, I've determined that a good local builder is the way to go. There may be some shops in your neck of the woods you're not even aware of. I'm leaning toward a local builder myself because: 1) I'll be close enough to be actively involved with the build of my engine: and 2) My builder will be able to do all future tweeking and service work.
A couple friends of mine did one better. They saved a LOT of money by purchasing most of their engine parts on their own. Their engine builder did the machine work and assembly. The 302/351/460 based engines are pretty simple designs. Nothing mysterious about how they go together. If you want a stroker, you can buy a complete kit at excellent prices. Shop around and you can save BIG $$$$.
That Ford 460 SVO would be a great choice too. Lots of horsepower and torque for the money. Good reliable engine straight from the crate.
Perhaps all you want to do is write a check and don't mind dealing with an out-of-state builder. The following shops come highly recommended:
Southern Automotive Engines (Bill Parham) in Georgia:
http://www.southernautomotiveengines.com
RDI (Racepart Distributors) in North Carolina
Gessford Machine (I think Club Cobra has a link to their website)
Don Scott - He's in Minnesota but we know about him down here in Alabama. Great reputation.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Y'all take it easy now, Brett
