I am still investigating parts for my 360 rebuild/swap and am trying to determine how exotic I am wanting to go. I will be swapping out the 360 for a tired 304. All of this is going into a '74 cj5 that only is my wheelin toy. (not a daily driver - but I do have to drive it to trails). I definitely want to be 300-350+hp but dont need to get over 400hp - it would be nice though.

Currently I have already bought a Mallory Unilite/coil/hyfire system (all new in box). I already have Hedman in-frame headers & dual 2.5in exhaust with dynomax mufflers with my 304.

I actually have 2 different 360 blocks - so hopefully I should have enough parts for one engine (after that, I will be giving away extra pieces) Both engines came out of wagoneers.

1st 360: Not sure what year - told that it smoked but ran ok. 2V stock maifold (Is there a difference between 2V and 4V heads?). The bad thing is that this engine sat outside for a couple of years and water got in the intake/heads/& couple of cylinders. I have torn this engine apart and the #4/5 cylinders have some rust but don't look overly pitted.
2nd 360: 75 engine with stock 4V manifold. The iffy part of this engine was that the last time it ran - the carb leaked fuel and caught fire. I dont think the engine fire was too bad since the coolant and oil still were fluid.

In picking between blocks/heads/cranks/etc what should I look for with each engine - since they both had some tradegy before I got them?

Here is the setup I am debating:
Intake: Edlebrock performer manifold & ~600cfm Eldebrock carb BUT I really want Edelbrock EFI - MC price $$?
Valvetrain: probably RV type cam for 1500-5000rpm,hydralic lifters, roller timing chain, new valves, springs, etc. I am thinking about 1.6:1 roller rockers just for fun. Is there any advantage with hardened pushrods - I dont recall ever seeing pushrod guides available for amcs. I am planning on getting all head work done/3angle valve grind & polishing the valves. Is it necessary to have hardened valve seats pressed in on 360 heads - I had them done on a ford302 I once rebuilt.
Block: bore .030 or .040 over, decked, honed, hottanked - the works. Thinking about the oil valley bypass kit.
Crank: probably have the journals re-machined.
Rods: probably keep stock & regrind journals & magiflux.
Pistons: Here is where I am pretty clueless. It seems like there isnt too much selection for 360s (comp/forged/etc). I probably am looking at 8.5-9.5 compression and cast pistons/rings - since I haven't found forged 360 pistons anywhere or moly rings (plus the co$t). What are decent brands or distributors for pistons?
Oil pump: Bulltear gears & possibly nickle plated timing cover if my 2 covers are shot.
Cooling: flowkooler water pump & possibly get either a new aluminum or 4core radiator.

I am planning on having the engine balanced & am wondering if there is any need to go for the $300 performance harmonic balancer. Since I am swaping out the eninge instead of pulling it to rebuild, I can take my time to save for the parts and spend a bit more. I would like to spend $1-2K unless I go for the EFI - damn I wish we knew how much those are going to be...