Project 65 DART WITH 360

My thoughts:

Measure block,may or may not need to be bored over size, you won't know till you measure. I am partial to KB 107 pistons, they would be a compression gain. Use the stock rods, have the big ends measured for correct size, if they are in spec, balance the assembly, push the pistons on and go.
Use an air gap dual plane, carb is ok. Heads, first measure the chamber volume, then worry about cutting them. You stated tight budget, leave the 1.88 intakes in the heads, cost benefit of going to 2.02's is iffy, gasket match is ok. It may be old school, but an MP 509 hyd cam is still an *** kicker, get matching springs.
Do a 904 tranny, it fits with no effort and they posses all the strength you need, if you use a 727, you have to "alter" the tunnel with a hammer.

Up grade your brakes, you want to be able to stop this