all i can say is that i had a budget of $6k for my motor and car. And im easily in $8k on the motor and damn near $20k on the car. and whats been said about getting depressed and feeling down about it if you don't budget right is true. there was a time when i felt like wtf am i doin and knew i was in over my head $$ wise

 

there's a common saying when it comes to building cars. "take your budget for the car, then double it". building a QUALITY AND RELIABLE motor isn't cheap.

i would also like to say that you DON"T already have pushrods. you don't buy pushrods until you can measure to find out exactly what length you will need.

here's what i'd do in your position(and assuming you have 0 upgrades already):

longtubes with y-pipe- 500
catback- 400
cold air intake- 150
LE2 heads and cam- 1350
svo 30# injectors- 150 used
comps 1.6 rockers- 200 used probably
pushrods- 100 or so

that puts you at 2850 right there. it adds up faster than you think. some of those parts i said "used" on because i have them that i'd be willing to sell for those prices. add another 150 to have your intake ported(unless you can do it yourself which is easier than doing your heads) and 300(guessing) for a 58mm throttle body.

i should also add that you aren't even tuned at this point

 

price went up a tad a while back, le2 heads and cam are 1600 now. and alot does depend on quality and design. my headers y pipe and cat back cost 2500. have almost 4k into the trany and converter.

 

im not trying to be optamistic i just ment three thousand for just motor internals all other additions and headers and covers and stuff like that can be done later. from hearing you all talk le2 heads are a must so thanks on that choice thanks to a previous post by torque is good i think i will be able to do the headers later i will most likely spend more then i want but you are right getting it tuned is a must and the pushrods i can get any size i want for $20 hard to explain why but i can lol as far as machining that wont be a problem ive done computer work for a guy i ment that owns one and ive had him do it for a small fee (kind of a exchange in favors really) all your guys help has been great deffinately on heads and cam choice

 

o and i dont really buy things new often so most of my stuff is used so sometimes its a gamble but usually its better if i just clean everything up and get used.... thanks guys

 

buying used is awesome. ive bought a lot of used things and if you search you will find amazing deals/steals and once you get them a little TLC makes them look and as good as new. lloyd elliot isn't the only option but he is one of the best and is affordable. he's a nice guy to and will answer all your questions