[krazy_texan]

in my opinion you should not have a horsepower goal per say, yes 400hp would be lots of fun but you got to figure whatever you build will have more than needed unless you plan to race it often. I am currently building a 355 for my truck and the only work i had done was had the block checked out and new cam bearings installed then had the crank polished. then when i get ready to have the heads done i will take a bare head to the machine shop and have it tanked and inspected. other than that i am doing all the work myself. It has taken a lot of research and reading and talking to machinest and fellow hot rodders and gear heads to learn what i have and i am still learning more each day. I am working on a budget myself and i have no clue as of yet what kind of horsepower my engine will output but i have already ordered most of my parts and including machine work i am less than 2grand on my engine so far and i dont have much left to get for it.