Up 'till now my plan for my CJ-6 was to grab a junked K30 1-ton Chevy 4x4 and use the drivetrain. Only after crunching the numbers, now I'm not so sure.

 I like the idea of getting a 454, TH400, Dana 60, and 14-bolt rear all in one package. I'd use a different T-case that mates to the 32-spline output of the Chevy 1-ton transmission. The axles would keep their 4.56 gears. I'd weld the rear and put a Detroit Locker in the front. But the engine would have to be rebuilt. And if you're rebuilding a 454, there's really no good reason nowadays not to stroke it to 496 cubes.

I found a complete rotating assembly including a 4.25-inch stroker crank, longer 6.135-inch rods, pistons, rings, balancer, and flex plate on enginekits.com for $999. Big-block Chevy heads are stupid-expensive. Patriot Performance makes some very good and comparatively inexpensive aluminum heads with 320cc runners for $1,440 assembled. But that's for the each head; not a pair. Looks like I'd be hogging out a set of junkyard or swap meet iron heads and having some bigger valves installed to the tune of probably $1,000 in machining labor. Add another $600 for boring, decking, honing, etc of the block. The valvetrain, including Comp Cams K-kit with a mechanical camshaft and Summit Racing stamped steel rocker arms are just at tick over $500. Add some gaskets, fasteners, a hi-po coil and curve kit for the factory HEI distributor, and an Edelbrock manifold and it's another easy $500. So, I'd have a 496-inch thumper built up for about $3,600...without induction. A junkyard Q-Jet would work in a pinch 'till I got a $1,500-$2,000 injection system sorted to work with the combo.

In all, by the time I was finished creating this thumper I'd be into it for a minimum of $3,700 and a max of about $6,000. It'd crank out probably 500-550hp and 540-575lb-ft and it'd feel like an ocean liner anchor was strapped to the front bumper.

On the other hand, I could take a pedestrian 5.3L junkyard engine for $300 with harness and computer, whip together an inexpensive turbo setup for it using a China turbo, larger injectors, and a few other choice components, and have a leisurely 500hp on the stock engine. Don't believe me: Hot Rod did it here: 5.3L Turbo

I could have the 4L60E currently in the CJ-6 rebuilt and a new output shaft installed to run my 32-spline T-case. Then I'd have an overdrive auto, somewhat light and economical V-8, and tons of power when I need it.

Brutal, heavy, caveman-carbureted big-block/TH400 or NASA-geeky electronics-whiz-bang 5.3L/4L60E.  Decisions, decisions.