Decision making was never my strong point...HELP lol

Now hold on a sec. I've seen some fairly warm 383s with thermoquads get 17 plus on the road with decent gearing. It's still a big block.

Never said you can't get decent mileage from a big block. It all just comes down to what he wants from the car. I personally prefer small blocks. Easier to work on, less weight over the nose, simpler swaps...that's just my 2 cents. :)