[LMH]

Joe,
I would suggest a 351W stroked to 408 (if you are leaning towards a small block). In general terms, it's a good high performance engine but not so radical that it isn't streetable. There are a couple engine builders that advertise on this site that build 408's I believe, so you might want to look there. I'd suggest going with aluminunm heads for better cooling being as hot as it here. There is also a local engine builder that I've heard good things about but I don't have any first hand experience with him. I can find out who it is if you want to check him out too.
Give me a call this weekend if you want. You got my number on my PM I hope.
Larry