If the shop is busy then they most likely don't want to mess with a low budget guy project. In my experience the low budget guys are the biggest pain to deal with. They fret over all the little stuff and since they can't afford the good parts you end up with a lower quality build. For example, the low budget guy will want to use $20 head gaskets rather than the $100 gaskets which work. Then they complain about leaks and want the engine torn down for no charge to replace the cheap head gaskets that they insisted on.
So it is very possible that if you went into an engine shop and spent some time talking about how you want it done really cheap that the owner just gave you a high price to get rid of you.
About the only way a low budget guy can get work done for a low cost is to go into a shop and tell the owner "I'm low budget but I"m not a loser.
This is so spot on. My builder will do anything I want. This is because I've built a relationship with him and he trusts me. He knows that I wont screw him, and that I will take full responsibility for my decisions/directives on things that are not perfect, at least by today's standards. I'll take what others would see as some risk in a build.
I can easily get done what you want for less than 5K, including aftermarket heads, and it will run strong and last forever. But if the shop is good and they don't know you from Adam, they just cannot risk you coming back on them. They have to do it "right" by today's standards.
That first shop you went to, they don't want your business.
