GEARS , definitely . Keep the long tubes no matter what anyone says , they are better than shorties and produce around 20 more hp than shorties on a modified 5.0 , i have seen the dyno results myself . They are still better on a stock 5.0 as well and especially if you continue on continuing your mods , definitely keep them.
How about a nitrous kit and some gears for $800 ? Now if that isn't seat of the pants , I don't know what is . Check out this site , parts are pretty cheap here :
www.neweraoerformanceparts.com