Welcome..The inline knowledge base here is wide and deep. I ended up with a 250 Chevy at about 240/260 HP.I had a 300 Ford also. The reason I went with the Chevy was because I had a cam,lifters,and some .040 pistons (307 v/8) on hand. It was a $$$$$ deal !!!Those old GMCs are hard to pass up also. I understand that they are using some 454 Chevy parts in them now. Some of the Inliner guy run them at Bonneville and would be a good resource to you. The Power Manual in the Club Stuff section is a must and will save you a bunch of time and money in the long run. Jump in and get your feet wet...SCRAP