Lost1953,
Rebuilding the engine properly isn't a good job for a green pea. If your current engine is worn out, I would have a credible shop rebuild it, or find a re-manufactured engine through your local parts house.
The thing to remember is that this particular engine isn't easily modified to 'run a little faster'. It's a workhorse, but it isn't Indy racer.
Upgrading to a 261 or 292 might be a solution for your quest for power, but again, this will take some skill to swap.
Not everyone is out to screw the customer, especially if the customer does some homework and can converse knowledgably with the machine shop.
Write down on a sheet of paper what you would expect for your hard earned money, and let the folks here give you some input regarding the reality of your expectations. If your rig runs fine now, you might not see much difference after lots of $$$ on a rebuild.
Stuart
