Please help me get started!

[harnalien]

Well, I have decided to take the plunge and get an LS-based engine. The reasons for this are plenty, but main one is that the costs of upgrading are much cheaper than in years past. I just finished a vortec-headed 350 a couple of years ago, but it’s not performing the way I thought it would. To upgrade that engine to a roller cam, new heads, etc. will be about as much as upgrading to the LS.

I have ’04 Dodge Ram Hemi Quadcab. I love that truck and the “seat of the pants” power it has. My goal is to mimic that feeling in my old truck. It is an ’84 2wd shortbed w/ a 700r4, 29" tires, and 3.73 gears. I want to say that my Dodge is heavier than my Chevy, but I could be wrong. According to Dodge, the hemi puts out 345hp and 375lb/ft of torque. I have noticed that the stock numbers from the LQ4 6.0 are fairly similar (300-25hp and 360lb/ft) to the hemi. The 5.3’s numbers are 285-305hp and 325lb/ft. I would like to know which would throw my truck around easiest. Would 400ishhp and 400ishlb/ft do it?

I am debating whether I should get an LQ4 and leave it stock, or get the 5.3 and stick a cam in it. I will get whichever engine I choose from LKQ and it will have less than 100K on it. I would love to just drop the engine in and not have to crack it open, but I don’t want to have to pull it out again to put a cam in it. Either one I choose, I will be going the carb’d route. There are plenty of good arguments for both sides, but I have decided carb is the way for me. I have a built 700r4, but I still need to stay under 450lb/ft torque.
So my options are:

LQ4 (6.0) stock w/ carb setup
LQ4 w/ a hot cam or ls6 cam (or similar)
LM7 (5.3) w/ a hot cam or ls6 cam (or similar)

This is a toy, so it will never tow or haul anything. Fuel mileage is not a major concern. I would like a little lope, but nothing too radical (I need vacuum). I would like more low-end power instead of having to wind it up. Sorry for the long winded post, but my mind has been racing the last couple of weeks thinking about how to proceed. Please let me know what y’all think and let me know if there are any questions I can answer!