Brian makes a solid set of observations. A Rocket block is a *fine* foundation.
Your not going to build a 600HP motor for under 10K though, unless you own a machine shop of your own and get the labor for "free".
Some random thoughts:
If you can build cubic inches, I highly recommend you not go with a blower for a driver to keep the complexity down and the reliability up.
Note my Z28 is Supercharged, so I have some idea of the engineering issues you face on a blown motor. They are a huuuge head rush when you plant your right foot though
EFI:
It's wonderful, but most of the stuff from Holley and Edlebrock is sub par for a HiPo application. Far better (and MUCH more expensive) EFI is available from people like
http://www.force-efi.com/ .
If you want to go EFI, I recommend you look at the GM crate motors that use the MEFI 3 and 4 controllers or retrofit an LS1 or LT1 into your car.
Any small block engine that makes ~475+ HP will run 11's at the strip. If you have $15K wallet, go for a 427 small block. The Rocket block Brian mentioned is fine, as is the World Products casting.
If you have a $10K wallet, go with a seasoned GM 2 or 4 bolt block.
Power is in the heads and released by the cam. I really like the Pro Action 23* heads with dual coil springs setup for a .620"ish lift, but you need to put them on at least a 383 to have a happy streetable ride due to the monster intake ports. They will work great on a smaller engine, but you have to be willing to rev 'em hard.
If you have the wallet, spring for the heads in aluminum and toss 60# or more off the nose of the car. Run 10.5:1 CR on aluminum and 9.5:1 with iron assuming a good cam.
A solid roller cam would be recommended as well. Crane or Comp Cams are the usual suspects BUT these guys:
http://www.ultradyne.com/ have magic fairy dust (and a really crappy looking web page
and should be consulted for your cam once you have the head flow numbers.
Use Comp Cams Pro Magnum or Lunati roller rockers with poly locks and you can pretty much set and forget your valves. You'll need guide plates and hardened pushrods of the correct length for your block deck height. Your choice of solid roller lifters, but be mindful of the
Install a rev kit just because it's the Right thing to do. Add in a cloyes timing set and a billet TC cover to keep the roller cam from walking.
Finally for the oiling system, I recommend a stock Chevy pump with the spring shimmed .060". You do NOT need nor want a high volume or high pressure oil pump on a street machine. Those pumps will wash out the bearings over time (I think I have a set of washed out main bearings somewhere, if I can find them, I'll post a photo of what that looks like).
You oil pan is critical, you need to select one that has room for the stroker crank at the rails and offers excellent oil control. It must also fit
This is not easy on old Vettes, particularly with road race pans that have big bat wings that want to occupy the same space as the headers. Research the oil pan question when the time comes.
Go with the MSD tach drive distributor and either the MSD 6-AL or Crane Hi 7 for the ignition. Buy the matching coil for the box at the same time. Use MSD plug wires.
For the intake manifold, well, here you have a real problem. You must use a single plane intake to make power on an engine with deep breathing heads. This means your stock hood either gets a hole cut into it or you replace it with an L88 style hood. I replaced mine (doesn't it look spiffy in my photo to the left?
There are some really excellent intake manifolds available from Brodix and Edlebrock, and Pro Action sells a really trick setup specifically for their heads.
For a carb, look at Braswell or DaVinci reworked Holley and select a carb to match the displacement and rev range of your engine.
Rotating assembly:
For up to 7K, go with Eagle rods, a Callies or Lunati street crank and Wiseco or JE pistons and you can't go wrong. Use ARP bolts *everywhere*.
Add in an Edlebrock water pump and your good to go. Ahh, poly motor mounts are a good thing, or just join the hard core club and install solid mounts like I have.
I'll SWAG this engine will run you around $12,500 to build and would make a nice 550-600HP depending on your cam and exhaust setup.
That's more than I intended to write and likely far more than you intended to read, so I’ll call it good to go from here on out. There are a zillion ways to build a really kick ass engine, so don't think the words above are the only way to glory, listen to other people who have been there and done that and sort out the wheat from the chaff and go for it!
CYa!
Mako
PS: I want pictures of the engine and copies of your dyno curves!
