Needs some wisdom thrown my way.

Honestly I'd hone in on your goal for the build. Do you have a HP in mind, 1/4 ET? How high do you want to rev it? Do you want a smooth idle or teeth rattling thump or something in between? What's your budget for the whole thing? Stock rods and relatively stock pistons can be used to make great power, but if you are reving it to the moon or want big HP numbers aftermarket is the way to go.

Also keep in mind you will need other things depending on the build. Torque converter, gears, etc.

Garth.