Fellow racers here want to see you get the most blast for your buck- and that could be a better combo with some horse trading. You have a better goal in mind than the plan you present, so why not put the thinking cap on and see what you can do to achieve that better goal in the short run? In the 1970s, I had a burning desire to build a bigblock, but no money to speak of. I started selling/swapping parts, anything that had value. Keep in mind that when you place an add to sell, most interested partys that have something to trade/swap are willing to take less than real value for it just to get what they need. Like trading in a used car. No dealer (that stayed in business long!) ever gave retail value for a trade. It took me about six months and lots of adds, but a minor miracle occurred, and my $50 turned into $3,000! You have some parts to work with to start. It would be great to see a post from you down the road where you were able to finagle a new set of rods and lighter pistons at least. It can be done! Good luck with it.