Let's come back to earth and be realists for a minute. Let's play how most of us play. Lets go dollar for dollar. Start with an empty engine compartment and a $5k budget. Let's toss in a builder motor of your choice. The builder motor is free. Pick a small block or a big block built with your $5k budget. What's going to get you the lowest E.T.? Same car too. A Duster will be a good platform to start with. Leave the transmission, exhaust and cooling out of the equation too. That's already included. We're talking just the engine.

That should automatically exclude the Hemi. That's the worst H.P/dollar investment we can possibly come up with.

But! I'll pick the small block. I don't think you can get down the track as quick on the $5k budget with a BB
No bottles either.