SBE 318 basic rebuild +CAM , INTAKE, HEADS, expectations?

That’s been the thought process so far with this car.. granted, it should make a certain level of power given the bottom end is working properly and in good shape but.. building to make at least *** power.. I don’t really care that much. If it feels and performs the same after all that work, clearly there’s a problem.. heads, cam, and intake and let it rip.. it’s easy to get lost in bench racing and HP numbers.. I wanna make it fun to drive and make a guy like me take notice when ya hear it roll up..
Here's the problem as I see it....You're gonna do all that and "let it rip" and when it doesn't "rip" you will suddenly see all of your time/$$$ and efforts in vain. At least that's what I went through. J.Rob