The cam you chose will depend on the compression ratio your engine has. If the engine has a low compression ratio, you would not want a cam with lots of duration and overlap as it would be down on power everywhere. If it is a low compression engine, I would suggest looking at the lobe separation angle as one of the most important factors in choosing a cam. Wider is better as it traps more cylinder pressure at lower RPM's. I used a Comp XE262 in my 355 with 9.5:1 compression and am very happy with it. It has a wide 114 degree LSA and makes tons of low end torque. It is not a cheap cam, I paid $175 with lifters if memory serves, but it is not an area to skimp on. For my $1,000, I would get that cam, a set of steel shim head gaskets, an Edelbrock Performer or Performer RPM, a well tuned Quadrajet, Headers, and a free flowing exhaust. I got my Performer for $15 used, my carb for $30, and the exhaust cost me around $800 from the headers to the cat to the tailpipes. It can be done cheaper if not done smog legal. I would also look at the rear axle gearing, especially if it is worse than a 3.08. Get a 3.23 axle out of a V6 car with the high altitude axle and you will notice a lot better acceleration ( I paid $50 for mine).Going from the 2.41 axle with the 355 to a 3.23 was a night and day difference in my car. Skip the water pump and the pulleys as there will be no real performance difference for the amount of money spent. The radiator is also a waste unless you have an overheating problem. Mine cools just fine on a stock 3 row radiator pulled from a 307 Cutlass in the junkyard for $45.What engine do you have, what are it's specs and what do you plan to use the car for? These are the questions that should guide your purchases and that will help others advise you on your parts choices.
Depending on the heads you have, the 3 angle valve job may also not net you much for the money invested. If doing an intake already, consider a set of Vortec heads. They will only cost you a few hundered more than the valve job and hot tank at the machine shop, and they will kill your stock heads in terms of performance and fuel economy. The modern high swirl combustion chamber uses less fuel and is far more detonation resistant than your old castings. If your heads are from the 80's, just count them as worthless as most of them are terrible in terms of performance. You will need a Vortec intake manifold, a set of guided tip rockers, centerbolt valve covers and may need better valve springs depending on the lift of your cam. The XE262 would work well with these heads and their smaller chambers would help if you have low compression in your engine as is. All this assumes you have a 350 and not a 305. Parts choices change if you have the smaller engine. Oh, and run a set of shortie headers with 1 5/8 in primaries going into a 2 1/4 in dual exhaust and you should be happy.
