I would think that starting with a small car from the 70's that came with a v8 (Pinto, Monza, Gremlin) would keep the buying price low and start with a good base.
Any good engine builder could make any of the americam small blocks make enough power to propel those little cars down the track into consistent 12's be streetable and trouble free Add a 150 shot and Bam your there. I would also use a well built auto with a quality converter in the long run,it would probably more consistent and cheaper than a stick.
Just my
.02 cents. There are a lot more formulas than this but I think this would be one of the cheaper ones.