[Fullsize455]

I'll try to keep this short and simple.. I am building my original 455 for heavy duty street/light duty track duty, and am having a hard time choosing which camshaft to go with. I have decided to go with a hydraulic roller camshaft for sure, to avoid any possible problems with modern oils, and I believe the decreased friction will offer long-term benefits as well when it comes to the life of the motor and such. The extra few hundred bucks up front seems worth it to me.

My basic requirements are simple: As much power/torque as I can make, while still retaining a relatively smooth idle, while keeping it "looking" stock on the outside(heads, intake, exhaust manifolds, etc), and most importantly it MUST run on 87 octane fuel all day long. This motor will be in a full size '71 Bonneville with stock rebuilt TH400 w/stock stall speed converter and 2.73 highway gears. The emphasis should be on low end torque, but with a touch of top end to throw in. I will mostly cruise this car around, but I want some extra power underfoot to *ahem* educate some foolish youngsters in Hondas, and every so often take it to the track. This car's performance in stock form was not terrific, perhaps in the 16's in the quarter, and I'd like to touch on the edge of the 14's if possible. I understand this may be slightly unrealistic, but either way, I want to make as much power as I can get, while still keeping that smooth idle. No major lope for me!

Here's my basic combo up to this point:
Stock 455 block, standard bore with flat top forged pistons
6X-8 heads, mild port cleanup with gasket match and stainless valves
Stock late 60's Pontiac 4bbl intake
Probably using a Rochester Quadrajet
MUST use stock exhaust manifolds
Ignition undecided - Was running a Pertronix unit in my stock distributor for years before, but may upgrade to an MSD setup, not sure yet - Thoughts?

So, good people, what say you? What camshaft kit and valvesprings would you use for this combination, for what I want to do?