Speedy 55299, Thanks for the reassurance. My engine has been sitting unstarted for about two years but it was built for about $1800 until I wasted another $200 having the exhaust ports smoothed out. You can buy a rebuild kit for about $250 with flat top eybrow pistons, bore the block 0.030" and clean up the crank for about $200 in machining buy a Speedway cam, new lifters, Z28 springs and shave the heads (882) to a 70 cc chamber and pay for a three angle valve job and add a Performer intake with headers and you should be in the 280 HP range with a stock HEI distributor and whatever carb you have. A few years ago there was a similar rebuild on Street Rodder magazine that got 300 HP with a stock rebuild, Performer intake, three angle valve job, 882 heads and a longer duration cam. Prices may have gone up but the easy way to getting HP seems to be with a longer duration cam, but that may reduce the low rpm torque. All you need is one of thise rebuild kits with their longer duration cam and a Performer intake. I opted for a stock 300 HP cam with 1.6 rockers for low rpm torque. I hope to get it running as soon as the weather warms up.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder