as far as dependable NOTHING V8 EXIST'S THAT WOULD BE ANY MORE DEPENDABLE THAN A 327 210 !
more power YES but a 327 210 is as reliable as the sun set ! just tune it keep the point's dwell right AND DRIVE IT !
I have a similar car mine has the 327 210 and 2spd power glide I reringed the engine 10 year's ago and have drove it since ,
nice car you have there VERY NICE !
my advice is as follow's
#1 fix EVERYTHING , brake's , hose's , change all the fluid's , fix any bad leak's , make everything work good
#2 CLEAN ER UP !
#3 ENJOY IT that car will draw a crowd at any cruz night you take it out to ,