[screamingchief]

Originally Posted by ThomcatNLR

im leaning definitley toward the solid cam now, though it seems that the cam and all hardware to go with it is quite a bit more than the hyd. (i can get the hyd. cam kit for 350 from my shop)

What comes in the kit,what brand and what cam???

I bought my 290b6 here NIB for far less than retail price,same with some low use crower #68405-16 springs and comp #7262-16 cro-mo pushrods,as well as both a comp and a Jomar stud girdle.

At one time or another tons of good stuff pops up here @ very good prices.

I agree you can do some things much more simply,but if you plan to keep it together afterwards,it's better to spend now for certain things,than have to re-do that stuff later on,that means spending on things like the bottom end,other items like heads are easy enough to replace later on,but re-doing a short block is another thing entirely.

And when you skimp on something like oil control in the sump,or 30+ year old 2 piece valves,you risk ending up with a pile of junk parts to show for your efforts and investment.

What I tend to spend my money on are parts that can transfered along with any upgraded parts later on.

That's why I would'nt spend a ton on iron heads unless you plan to keep/use them later on.

Some things are catch-22's though,,,your damned if you dont,,,and damned if you do...

Myself I save tons of money by doing most all the work myself,and buying when I find deals,so I can afford to spend on the more important stuff when I deem it necessary.

For example,I build my own auto transmissions myself so I can spend more on the converter,that sorta thing.

But yeah,some items like the maddog headers could be substituted for some generic hedman 1 3/4" four tubes or such with a minimal HP penalty,yet save a nice chunk of change,especially if your going to run an open exhaust system.

But other items like the stock rods,I would question why anyone would use the OE cast rods,when the budget forged I beams with 7/16" bolts are competitive with re-working those cast rods and adding good 3/8" bolts,and those cast rods still ending up being weaker compared to the budget I beam forgings.

I agree a lightweight RA is a nice thing if you can afford the extra cost,but it's not absolutely needed for this sorta deal.

And the newly available KB forgings would be a good budget forged piston choice for a deal like this,they have the lighter pins as SOP,a slightly taller CH,and are drilled for the oil ring instead of being slotted,so those would be my piston choice for this.

But to spray the thing with any respectable shot,you'll definitely want forged pistons.

Other items like the oil pump,timing chainset,and such,those are areas where money can be saved as long as your careful when assembling the engine and check that they are fit to use and assembled & installed properly.

I'm just advising weighing the current needs vs. the long term aspects,that's all.