Budget drag car… B-Body or A-Body?

The best cheap motor might be a 5.9 magnum. Get the trans with it and it would be a good base. When i pulled a 200 thou mile 5.9 apart, i could have cleaned, honed and rering it. Regrind the rollercam, better valve sorings and come up with a top end and you should have a cheap 350+ hp motor.