Well I know I tend to look for the low buck way and that is not always best but if you can find a local library with back issues of HOT ROD magazine, take a look at this article.

HOT ROD magazine, December 1995, page 26

They got a little over 300 HP at 5000 rpm using the H.C. Master rebuild kit which comes with a performance cam. They did it for $800 in 1995, but I doubt if you could do it for much under $1500 today. In particular they reused/rebuilt the rods and I would opt for new rods along with the pistons. Also the cam they used was quite long in duration as a way to get high rpm HP and maybe the low rpm torque suffered, although they reported 295 ft. lb. at 1500 rpm which is not bad. I got suckered into this idea back when my expenses cramped my income a lot but now I wish I had put out a bit more and purchased a crate 383, although that usually requires high test gas. If you look around on the Internet you should be able to find a crate 383 for about $2000-2200.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder