well, the 'best' performance upgrade in your NA engine package would be the 4.1L ( 252ci ). that comes from the factory with a 3.965" bore, which you're never going to get out of a 3.8L block, and is the same size externally. and it was also available from 1980-84 ( although not in the Le Mans ), so it would be "period correct" if anybody asked.
if you're going with a professional build, you could contact Baker and see if they're still building Buick v6s. i think the last time i went looking they were still in business up in Grand Rapids Michigan.
if you want to live dangerously, you can also occasionally find old circle track Late Model engines from back in the day on sites like RacingJunk.com
obviously, a 30 year old circle track engine is probably pretty well thrashed. they were getting close to 500 hp out of those silly things though.
The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
Vladimir Lenin
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H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)
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