To properly weld the heads, you'll need to heat the entire head to 1500 degrees during the weld. Then, maintain 1300-1500 for 15-30 mintes, and finally, allow the heads to cool slowly for 24 hours This will eliminate the cracking problems associated welding cast iron. Sounds complicated don't it? You'll be better off not welding the heads and doing something else instead.

If I'm not mistaken, any aftermarket or pre-smog head will bolt onto your applicataion. 9.0-1 to 9.5-1 compression should be streetable. The new smallblocks all run 9.5-1 on unleaded, but they have aluminum heads and a reverse coolant flow design. You won't be able to run 87 octane. With a good camshaft, this should put you into the 400 fwhp range.