Just an opinion:

I just read David Vizard's "How to build maximum perfromance chevy small blocks on a budget". The thing which might interest you is this: One of his main criteria in this book is cost and you can keep cost down by using second hand stock Chevy parts and modifying them. Like for example grind the crank down to create less windage loss. Use 6 inch rods for more torque. Give the valves a 30 degree instead of a 45 degree seat to increase flow at low-lift. Pocket port your heads (if you're allowed to do so in your class) to get more swirl and thus better burn... There are a great many cool things you can do with cheap second hand STOCK Chevy parts and a carbide grinder.
There are also good books on tuning Q-jets, which aren't that bad once you get the hang of them. Edelbrock and Holley beat the Q-Jet hands down when it comes to ease of use, but if you toy around a bit the performance will be the same. That's Vizard's opinions and he's been in the racing and building business for over 40 years. At the end of the book there are some nice engine combos which would maybe suit you very well, based on 350s, 383s and 400s.

I liked the book very much, gives you a bit of a technical view on things, the bigger isn't always the better...

Just my two cents worth...

Mad