Gen 3 wasn't on his list of engines he wants to use. Lot's of guys aren't comfortable with Gen 3. I love the engine. It looks like the most beautiful combustion chamber in 2V history. But we (the old guys) don't have 40 years of experience with a Gen 3 like we do with the other engines. If a Gen 3 doesn't start there's no way I could ever figure out the EFI/electronics/COP etc.

You hemi guys are a riot. I love beating them at the track with my “little block”. Lol 😂
Not sure how some of them squeeze their heads into the helmet.

I knew the hemibashers would make an appearance. Oh well. He didn't ask for the cheapest motor, he asked for the best.

In Your mind maybe. There are cheaper, faster options out there believe it or not. Take off your blinders.

And then take out bottom end bearings taking the high G turn into the staging lanes.

Or the cam bearings.

A basic 500 +/- inch RB w/ a decent set of Indy heads would be my choice. Cookie cutter combo that works.

My old buddy Bills Demon went 9.30's at 3400lbs all steel all glass with a pretty simple 511" deal with -1 heads. Not even very heavily ported -1's with a jacked up 4 link. We shifted it at 6400! One of the many issues it had when we met he was shifting at 7100 because that what someone told him it needed BUT there is more to getting your car to run well than just the engine. But it dont take a ton of power to run 9's at A body street strip weights for sure. I also built a 511" for a 69 RR nothing fancy Indy CNC head and it can run 9.40's all day long shifting at 6800 and that thing tips the scales at 3720. We are talking 650ish HP to make a middle/high 9 second pass in a typical 3000-3100 A body

Wonderful replies GUYS!

No hemi-bashing please and talk of Chev-lumps is very un-helpful too.
Yes lots of Guys have run Chev bigblocks for financial reasons , BUT NOT ME!!!

Of course I would run my knackered hemi if I knew it would work.
But a 50 year old broken and welded/brazed 426ci high comp 'hemi' is probably 'old hat' these days...

So realistic alternatives 'on a budget'?
Leaning towards a 512ci with Indy DASH-I's.

Or, due to old age and lack of strength (covidity), go small-block with a 408ci engine with Brodix heads?
Only ever run a small-block for grocery getting.
All the guys I know who run '9 second' 408's are not doing it for very long, maybe one weekend or two at best...