Rebuild 318 or go Crate

Thanks everyone for the feedback! Yep, I'm in St.Pete FL. It seems like I might be better off getting discs all around(I'm still gonna try for hydro boost) and getting the wheels and tires on there. I have to admit, all you guys with thousands of posts and conflicting opinions have my head swimming at the moment...so many paths forward! I really want to do as much of the work myself as I can so I can increase my knowledge, yet space and tools are an issue. Also--I don't know how much of an appetite I have for spending even more money fixing my mistakes. Those of you defending the 318--what did you do that made it what you wanted? I mean--enough to keep it over going up to 340/360? I've studied that rebuild post for $1500 a few times over the past month--I just don't feel its realistic without knowing exactly what to look for and how to troubleshoot used parts and issues.