Justin I'd stick with the SBF, be alot easier than doing all that work.
Parts are cheap, blocks are plentyful, and they run as good as any chevy with the right combination of parts.
When I first started getting into dragracing my buddy had a white 70 something maverick.
I came and watched him run ever weekend till I got my 81 z28 camaro running.
It had a bored over 302, 12.5 to 1's - healthy bump stick, torker 2 intake, Holley 750dp, C4 trans, 8inch rearend W/456 gears, 9 inch slicks, sub-frame connectors and slapper bars, nothing fancy just a well put together package.
It ran high 11's 1/4 and 7.20's 1/8
When I finally got my car finished, it was running almost identical times.
After the races were over, the track owner would let us grudge race, and just about every weekend we did just that.
We ran so close it was always down to who cut the better light.
Loser leaves town - Ford verses Chevy, you could see the dollars flying at the starting line, betting on who was gonna win, man thoses were the days!
Cp