Woohoo! FInally some BBC discussion. All this LSx talk was too much :-).

There is a set of Edelbrock oval port heads for sale in the for sale section. Pretty good price and they are new in box. For a smaller cube BBC that is likely the way to go. I have a set of Dart 320s but if not, I'd likely pick up those oval ports for myself. For a street engine they can make strong numbers.

John

I'll be following this thread myself, as I more than likey going to go the BBC route more so than with a LSx. :unibrow:
Not that I don't like the Lsx, I have a LS1 now.:thumbsup:

Looks like a pretty stout race motor. You must be running a mammoth camshaft with your max torque at 5500. Probably not ideal for him though. I'm running a set of 325 Dart Pro 1's on my 489. For his goals your heads are way to big and so are mine. We also need to know if he wants to use power brakes. For a street motor with those hp goals in mind, I'd take Franks advice and go with a good set of budget oval ports. Those GM heads would be fine as well. The camshaft needs to be matched to your rear gear, brakes, and goals. I'd also make sure the camshaft has a pressed on cast distributor gear so you can run a regular gear or melonized vs a bronze gear for longevity. Basically we need to know more.

Thanks guys. Yes on power brakes. Maybe a hydro boost later. 5 speed trans, so no converter to worry about. Rear gears are undecided as of yet. I have the stock ten bolt in it but that is going away and will be replaced with either a 12 bolt or 9 inch. Wheels will be either 17 or 18's. Not sure on tire size yet (diameter). No tubs. Trying to keep the budget in check and be realistic with my use of the car.
I'm not affraid to spend money on the car but I would rather do it on things like brakes, suspension, trans, engine. Not so much on body mods or "bling".

I am very open to ideas on which parts for the whole car. This is my first full build and I want it right. I do have the ability to do everything but the paint myself. And I just might try that too.
If there are any thoughts on cam selection, rear gears, brake set up, tire size or anything else then please feel free to chime in.
I'll be dragging the engine home this weekend and tearing it down to inspect. If the block is good then I'm in business. If it's not then I'll go with the small block I already have. (327 with a fresh rebuild, around 300 hp. But i can fix that :unibrow: )

I wasn't suggesting he use the same heads as me. AFR 305's work very well on 496 size engines if he decided to stroke it out a bit. On 468's most guys go with ported GM heads and make fantastic numbers.

I just checked and my peak torque was actually at 5000.

my money is on the pro filer 320 heads with matching intake and a mechanical cam in the 240-245 deg ragge @ 0.050 with about .600 lift and 110 LS....

it should put you in the 620 fwhp range with acceptable idle

Well...with a 5 speed a 3.73 should work great. What is the overdrive gear ratio? You need to stick with a small hydraulic cam for power brakes. I'd get on the horn with Comp Cams or Lunati and find a good camshaft for your application and match the heads. Sounds like heads we've discussed earlier will work just fine for your goals.

How about a little boost?:D I did a mild 468 with ported 049 GM heads 9lbs of boost with a vortech YS blower. Made just under 900HP and in a 4300lb street truck run consistant 6.5x and in the 6.3x was its best run. It was lots of fun to beat up on race cars at the track before he sold it a couple months ago.

Funny you mention chevelles.com as I am a member there. They love 496 builds over there and that is what I am building. AFR and Brodix seem to be the preffered heads. I got a set of edlebrock RPM heads cheap so that is what I am going with. Big blocks are prone to valve float that is why solid cams are recomended for anything more than a mild street motor. I will be using a flat tappet cam for now because the cost of rollers are a little out of my budget for now. Even so my motor is very straight forward and should make 650 horsepower. Guys running brodix or afr heads running solid rollers are making 700+ horsepower with ease. As much as LS motors are touted around here it is all too easy to blow them away with a big block.

Very good info here guys.:cheers: