I'm like Desert Dog and Kenc. You didn't even mention the 292. Why? Too heavy or some other reason? What about a high performance 327 from about 1965? Does the 350 that came out about 1967 meet your qualifications and is a small block 400 too heavy?.
The 292 cannot be built to 300 crank hp without a set of VERY costly custommade crossflow heads. When I say costly, I mean COSTLY. The second disadvantage is that there is no weight reduction over the 261.
The Chevy smallblock is defintiely in the running, and a strong contender. Its just that if I go that route, I would rather buy a more RECENT model that can be made to look like the older ones via suitable rocker covers, carb setup, etc. But yes, the smallblock is defintiely in the running.
The 400 smallblock, or the 383 stroker smallblock, have even more torque than a 350, and no increase in weight. Their only disadvantage is higher cost than the 350. Very much in the running, depending upon cost available to me!
