http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...O%27+War+block


This is a good guide for pricing..

 

Those are pretty steep... May try to find an older factory block, I hear the 69-74 I think are the best? Input?

 

yeah, from what ive heard there thicker in places they need to be. but there also harder to find...

 

roller 351w block + 408 rotating assembly + pretty much any aftermarkey aluminum heads = WIN

 

To answer your original question, I think the best block available is from Dart. Yes, it's a little expensive, but not as much as you might think. With max recommended bore and stroke, you can make a 454 small block. Built with off the shelf parts and reasonable care, 550hp is pretty easy. 650-700 can be had with some specialized (expensive) parts. With proper care and feeding it will last forever regardless of the abuse you pile on it.

I built this engine in my garage with basicaly off the shelf parts. Nothing fancy; except the EFI.

 

How much for the dart block?

 

Dart blocks go for about the same as Man O' War. Maybe if you specify a rough price range we can give you some more options.

 

I would like to keep it under a grand, I was looking and the Man O'Wars are around 3500+ I'm a college student I can't drop that kind of money

 

I'm sure there are a lot of opinions out there, but if I were looking to spend about a grand I would probably look for a 5.8L (351W) with EFI. You could probably find a wrecked 90's truck or van with the whole EFI setup, maybe even a T5 too. With a cam upgrade you'd be making some respectable power, plus get decent fuel efficiency and have lots of room for future upgrades. That's just my opinion.