Hey Roger,
Yes Sir,,, I agree Tech has some very good insight and I don't mind the being direct at all,,, actually prefer getting to the nuts and bolts of things to put it simply. Read the article and found it very interesting and makes a really good case for a later model roller block. And with all that,,, it's also pushing me more toward and LS engine,,, just pondering it though at the moment. What caught me most was the end play or shift of the cam on a roller and the .005" tolerance. I'd do a carb intake and only have the ECM for ignition. I'm just not real sure I like having the coil packs hanging on the valve covers. Kind of takes away from the bling of shiny valve covers LOL. Not having to deal with the distributor next to the firewall is an advantage. There is still room to do a swap if I decide to before completing the build. One area I can't picture on doing an LS install is the accessory mounting and if the water pump would get in the way of the radiator fan which isn't mounted at the moment so I could be concerned over nothing.
I am a machinist by trade just not a automotive machinist,,, I make energy related parts which can be much more complicated. Would love to get into some engine machine work though.