[killroy]

I think that there are only a few combinations that make sense:

Stock/performance rebuild. It should make good power and last if the rev's are held below 6,500 and the oil system is done right.

Cheap stroker. Use a Mexican block or early 302 with good main caps and probably a girdle with a cheapo cast crank stroker kit for more power without breaking the bank.

Over the top street motor. Use a race block, forged rotating assembly and good machine work. Accusumps and pre-oilers highly recomended, especially if it will ever see a track. This is a motor that can take 8,000+ rpm if the oil is there. With good heads and intake, it can make great power.

Full race. Same as over the top, but add a bigger cam, dry sump oiling and regular parts replacement of valve springs, retainers, rocker arms, pushrods, etc. Plan for frequent rebuilds. This is a 600+ hp engine if done correctly.

To quote Smokey Yunnick: "There's cheap racing, there's expensive racing, and there's damned little in between"

Of course those are all for 302 based engines, the 351 block is much stronger, so there are a lot more combinations that make sense.

Also, supercharging can make more power with a stock block than a NA motor. A turbo-supercharger or positive displacement blower can create lots of low rpm torque, so you can avoid the high rpm's that are usually associated with split blocks. To put it simply, less rpm = less stress on the main journals. The cylinder pressure and torque don't seem to hurt things as much as swinging all of that weight around. So supercharged engines can make 500+ hp on a stock block if it's built right and the RPM's are held below 6,000 or so.