I'm a fan of American V8s in general, but I'm not sure the SBC the best choice for a Lemons car. Besides the reliability issues the SBC has had at Lemons, you have to ask yourself what kind of SBC you can get within a legitimate Lemons budget. Odds are it's not going to be a 327 with Fuelie heads, or an LT1, or a 302 out of a '69 Z28-- no, a non-cheating Lemons SBC is going to be a 305, 307 or 350 out of a clapped-out passenger car or dead pickup truck.
A well-built SBC is a thing of beauty, and a wonderful engine for a street car or a race car. But a Lemons SBC... well, let's just say the noises I heard from the #59 Camaro and the CheVolvo will haunt me forever.