New guy 350 swap questions

[aws68]

Gentlemen,

Long time reader, first time poster. Bear with me here...

I bought my '68 in August and drove it for a few months before its "2000 mile" crate 350 threw a rod. The pics are the before and after, all I've done so far is throw some wheels on it and drop it a few inches.

Since I don't have the cash for a full on Gen III swap, I've opted for the low cost option of another crate 350. As far as I can tell, there is only a cam difference between the $1400 250hp 350 and the $1700 290hp. I'm thinking I should go with the 250hp option and swap the cam myself (voiding the warranty of course). From the homework I've done, I've been thinking I can get some good low end torque if I throw on some Vortec heads as well. I will mostly be using it for a summer time daily driver.

Any thoughts on this? From what I can tell, the Comp 268H and the Lunati Voodoo 60100 are both solid options. Will either of these partner up well with Vortec heads? (Again, I am seeking the low cost option)

Any input is appreciated here.