354 or 392? Hemi? Questions?

Speed parts are readily available for the 354/392 Chrysler's, not hard to find at all. Hot Heads pretty much carries everything you need, as well as Egge and a few others.

http://www.hothemiheads.com/

http://egge.com/

But, there is NOTHING cheap about a 354/392. They are the most popular early hemi's, and will set you back a pretty penny. A running, un-rebuilt, stock 354 will probably set you back at least $2,500, and a 392 will be even more than that. The 331's, which basically are the same block (same dimensions, different wall thickness), are a little cheaper to come by, but the '51-'53's had a long bellhousing cast into the block, so they wouldn't be a good choice. '54 and '55 331's have identical external dimensions as the 354/392 blocks, and are still a little less expensive.

A small block 360 distributor will not work without an adapter, the distributor is the right size but the shaft is not quite the right length. Its an easy fix and the parts are made (hot heads carries it), but its not a bolt in without an adapter.

A small block bellhousing is the same size as the hemi bell, but the bolts are on a different pattern. Adapters are made to bolt a small block bell to a 354/392, so you can run later transmissions (727, A833, etc).

The block is pretty much the same size as the A and LA small blocks so engine mounts should be fairly straightforward, but the heads are huge, and will no doubt cause clearance issues. Probably why a rack is needed, I don't see the stock steering clearing the heads.