Thanx for the great responses, guys. That's all stuff I want to hear. My thinking on the 383/440 power plant is mostly based on cost. Up here where I live (Canada), it's pretty easy to buy an old New Yorker, or the like, for around a grand. That's a lot less than doing any performance mods to a smaller engine. I could be all wet on that. A real good alternative would be a 340, but they're hard to find.
I pick up my coupe tomorrow morning, so I can start measuring track and wheel base soon. Hmmm, Dakota, eh?