1500 sounds pretty good for a big block, but i live by the saying, "there's no replacement for displacement" I had the opportunity to build a 396 also for cheap but i opted to wait to find a 454 block and make it into a 502 with a different crank and .080 over pistons. I guess waiting is good because instead of paying 300 for the 396 block i got the 454 block for 25 bucks!! turned out they guy that had it races boats and took it out because it was too "small" for what he needed, he needed 632 tall deck blocks for his boat so the 454 was just sitting around collecting dust. 396 is a really good motor and for street use you will probably love it i personally like ALOT of motor, more than necessary thats why i have a supercharged 502 in my monte and am already making preps to build a 540 or even a tall deck something in the area of 600 cubes or more probably in the next year or so.