[Mr. P-Body]

Skip,

Not sure what you mean. What rods are they?

In olden times, when 455s were "cost prohibitive" to us ragedy misfits, we used 400s for EVERYTHING. You could go to Orange County on any Friday night and see at least a FEW 12 and 11 second GTOs, even in '73 or '74. With better bottom-end parts, a Ram Air IV can be a MONSTER. We put solid lifters on the 041 cam and WOO-HOO! 6,800 RPM, mid 11 second times, "streetable" (a looser definition in those days).

I recently posted an opinion on PZ that has given many "food for thought", when one of my new friends (and customer) thanked me ENDLESSLY for NOT trying to sell him a stroker. Not everyone wants a big motor. Not everyone even wants a HOT motor. As a business owner and engine builder (by trade, not "in name"), it's my job to provide my customer with what THEY want. Period. I AM expected, however, to keep one from shooting themselves in the foot...(:-

Do research before you buy heads. Not all "numbers" are created equal. Compare flow numbers across the "range". Average them from .200" lift to .600" lift. The head with the highest average will make the most power, not necessarily the one with the highest "peak" number. For a street engine, look more at .300 and .400 lift than over .500... The very best Pontiac heads don't come from "traditional" Pontiac vendors. They come from professional porters. Cerelli's, BES, H&M are good examples.

FWIW

Jim