I did it 2002 with:

A $3000, rolling Dart Sport. It had a cage, some fiberglass, all lexan, tin dash, ss springs, slicks/Welds, 4.89/spool, Moser axles, blah, blah...

I added a used, well-built 12:1 383 short block that was had for $400

I spent $700 on a set of locally ported 452 heads, scrounged a free Ultra Dyne .613/277 cam.

Used Pro Parts headers were $250.

A rebuilt 727 with a man vb, and a new $700 converter.

And spent as little as possible, elsewhere: Cheap generic lifters, cobbled together springs from a super stock guy's "stuff", swap meet iron rockers, intake and carb, etc...I had MAYBE another $2000 in odds and ends; new front tires, fuel pump, and trips to the auto parts store...

Bottom line is that $7500-ish got mid 10's @ 124. That's low dollar, to ME.

But the meaning of low, low dollar is open to opinion...