For my street car, I went with iron. I think it is a little more forgiving in some ways on the street than aluminum. The weight is a down side, but there are less considerations when driven frequently. As to repairing a damaged block, I personally haven't busted a Hemi block in a street/strip application. At least not yet.

And I have ran Barton's flat solid lifters in my last 2 street engines. Very happy with that decision.