two 354 hemi's

am wondering, on the average, how big a street motor one can make out of an old 354 ? w/o putting a fortune in it !?

The thing with the first generation Hemi is not the size. It's the efficiency. The heads (54 and up 331 and 354) are so efficient that it does not take much in the way of mods to have a very respectable street engine.