The 3rd gen Camaros are not that bad either. You can find one under 4K that has a 305 in it then swap out later down the road. My first car was a 71 torino 500 I had gotten from my neighbor for $1200. I bought it because it kind-of-looked like a Chevelle. I know that's stretching it a little but, I was 16 at the time. The Torino had a 351Cleveland in it. It ran pretty good too. I have been partial to the Nova's since then. Had 5 of them ranging from 68 to 72. Main thing is to get one that you can depend on and work on a little at a time. Have fun with it and don't get discouraged.
Chris