To tell you the truth (dispite the fact that I ablolutely dispise the optispark) for what you are looking for, an LT1/T56 or LT1/4L60E depending on manual/Auto preferences would get you where you want to be. They regulary spin up to 7 grand, but are still small block chevy based. Parts are easy to come by. And it's a pretty straighforward bolt in operation, with only minimal fab work required to make it fit. You could keep most of your stock power steering and AC components with minimal need for adapter fittings. With a ZZ409 (very street friendly) or ZZ9 (not so street friendly) cam you can get that low end grunt you want and still have plenty of top end. The heads are not bad in stock form, but respond well to porting work. On top of that there is plenty of support in F-body and B-body forums.
I mention it because I am in the middle of helping my brother do an LT1/T56 swap into his '86 Monte SS, so I know what we've had to do to get it there.
Just my .02
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"Nothing's more American than that" ... "How's about a big ol red, white, and blue speadboat driving down a river of monay."
The projects from hell:
94 GMC Yukon - The new (to me) tow vehicle
85 TA - The "race" car
82 Firebird SE- tha heap
66 Mustang - 4bbl 289 With power brakes. It's a classic, what more do you want.
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