A few wild cards are block, pistons and rods. With a goal of high torque and high (er) compression the pistons and block will need to be dialed in. Consistent deck height, compression distance and quench. Is the block square? Can you find a shelf stock piston/gasket to meet your goals and deliver good quench? Are the rods OK with new bolts and minor work at most?
Answers might range from <$1k to several thousand dollars.
Suggest you get your block measured, look for pistons and plan accordingly. In the spirit of managing to a budget, a (true) ~9.5:1 AL head non quench build will run a whole lot better than the stock 440 without breaking the bank.
I've got a complete (disassembled) 440 to look at as well as the engine that is in the car.
Something that has been running through my mind is determining where the money is best spent.
If the rods and crank need work then it may be more cost effective to go with a stroker. The down side is that I don't want to make the mpg even worse on a road trip car.
Should the costs grow even more then I might look at swapping a different engine into the car.
I already have a V8 fuel injection system with distributorless ignition so that's not too much of a concern.
It really boils down to me getting the best bang for the buck. This time, instead of big power I'm looking for reliability, low to mid range torque, and whatever mpg I can squeeze out of it. In that order.
