I can't believe you guys.
I stop hanging around here and everyone forgets what I did with a bone-stock engine and blowing through the stock 1-bbl carb. That was about the cheapest set-up anyone has done, and went pretty fast, too.
SHAME on anyone suggesting the Eaton M90, getting that thing mounted to the point where it doesn't toss the belt off every 10 minutes is a machinists nightmare, if you could find such a person willing to tackle it. The only guy on here that did one runs a machine shop. Not many people have that resource.
EVERYTHING needs to be fabbed, including pulleys.
The only other way to possibly get cheaper is to rob the draw-through turbo/carb set-up from the VERY early 80's Buick 231 engines. But good luck finding a good set-up.....and that turbo is too small anyways. It was a sucky design then and it still sucks today.
I gotta agree with Addo.... efi is the future. You can make a carb work if you are stubborn and dedicated like me, but it isn't the BEST way.
But it sure was cheap!