You are getting very good advice.
A cam like the 2801 would work if you are looking for a factory-style idle and don't plan on high RPM's. The 2802 is a better choice if you want a little edge to the idle and want to have strong power to 5000 RPM. And it would be more pump-gas friendly. Just don't turn the engine much beyond that if you have stock rods. With the 96 heads you should have plenty enough compression that you don't need the fast ramps built into the XE cams.
Changing the springs is a good idea when going to any aftermarket cam since they always have more lift than factory. If you are on a very tight budget then sometimes you can get away with stock springs (I have in the past) but its really not worth trying. Springs don't cost that much, and more often than not I ended up replacing them down the road due to valve float problems. The 68404 springs being recommended would be my first choice.
If the valvetrain is set up correctly and the springs are not too heavy then bottlenecks should be fine. But the big studs are good insurance. If you stick with the bottlenecks then you can measure and order pushrods the right length, but polylocks are the easiest way to go. I would feel comfortable with any of these options using the 2802 cam and the 68404 springs.
Walt
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1969 Lemans vert, matador red, 462 CI, 3.07 12-bolt posi
1974 455 TA, admiralty blue/red interior HPP "cover car" - sold
"The best way to show a car is to drive it"
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