If I was starting from scratch, hands down a junkyard magnum 5.2/5.9 with a supercharger or turbocharger. 500+hp for pennies on the dollar compared to a comparable n/a SB or BB.
You know I gave this serious consideration - and may give it more consideration - but what initially scared me away from a turbo is the potential for turbo leaks in the piping and how in general more complexity = more problems.
That said, with 5-10psi boost on a 5.9 Magnum, even without an intercooler, that should be a 550hp motor.
I can't see a supercharger kit being cheaper than building a N/A big block though... I could be wrong of course.
Superchargers aren't the cheapest things out there, however a good, new centrifugal supercharger can be had for 2500. The beauty is if your engine ever pukes, the s/c in not affected, can be resold, transferred to another car, etc. A used one can be had for 1000-1500 depending on model.
quickD100 has a post in the race section about how he took a stock LA 318, put on a $250 ebay GT-45 turbo, put in a new head gasket set, o-ringed the block, head studs and dynoed 563hp. Even with the extra complexities, it would be well worth for the cost savings. For 1000 bucks you could put the whole thing together. Worst case scenario you grenade the block and are out the $200 bucks for another junkyard 318.
