will e wrote:I assume emissions is not a concern.
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) has emissions testing.
will e wrote:The 360 can be perked up a bit with a cam, new ignition and a 4bll carb and intake. This would be your least expensive route. Maybe get a dual exhaust too. Headers are an option but if you stick to the cam, carb, exhaust your modifications are limited and the problems resulting from modifications are limited too. Swapping a different engine and/or drive train means custom work and that almost always leads to little problems that need to be worked out.
A number of people have good luck with rebuilt engines. I don't know the engine builders down there any more (I moved 12 years ago). A Summit K8600 cam is a good overall driver cam that won't kill your emissions. And it's not expensive.
Honestly, rebuilding the stock carburetor will leave you with good driveability and usable power. Though if you're good with wiring and don't mind dropping some money, you could get the Holley Sniper 2300 throttle body fuel injection system. It will bolt on to your stock intake manifold and is pretty easy to set up once you get through the wiring. There are others that require a different intake manifold. But when you rebuild the engine, it wouldn't be extra work to install a new manifold for different fuel injection. Budget will drive that as much as your technical ability.
An ignition upgrade that looks stock but gives you good performance is the TFI upgrade:
http://www.grimmjeeper.com/TruckNorris/tfi.html The best part is that it's cheap and uses off-the-shelf components.
The factory exhaust isn't half bad. And there are few options for major upgrades. Though you could go to an exhaust shop and they might be able to custom build something that isn't terribly expensive.
Of course, swapping in a Chevy is not a half bad idea but it's pretty involved. As long as you get it from a vehicle that is your model year or newer it will pass emissions. It would require a lot of customization and fabrication. And while you can do things to save money, it's still going to cost quite a bit.