given that you have to work within the parameters of the rule book, you'll want to do two things. first figure out what kind of speeds you'll be running, or need to run. then tailor your gearing/tires and chassis to that. with that locked in, then you can sort out the engine on how and where you want to make the power.
i understand that you're hemmed in by the rules: 9:1 comp, 2bbl carb (i'm guessing), and likely you're limited to a max lift.
provide as much information as you can and we can likely put our collective heads together and get something that's at least close to decent!