Richard/Techinspector1,

Allow me to learn from you regarding "squish". The message above has three points of interest to me. First, I am learning that you recommend the space between the top of a piston at TDC and the underside of the head (SBC or wedge head; not hemi-head) be minimal to permit use of higher compreshion ratios without detonation. This is a new idea to me and I want to understand it. There may be a safety problem in that as an engine wears there may be wear in the piston pin and rod bearings that will allow the piston to go higher as it passes TDC and gets dragged down due to the inertia of the piston mass. This could lead to a catastophic collision between the piston and the head if contact occurs. In another thread you recommended 0.035" as this space formed from a deck height of 0.007" and a thin gasket compressed to 0.028", summing to 0.035". Thank you for the Chevy part No. for the thin gasket (10105117). I am not clear on what the standard deck height is with "stock" or "stock replacement" pistons but one shop told me it should be 0.025" I am trying to use your method with combinations of more common parts and avoid the cost of decking the block. Thus if the deck height is 0.025" with stock replacement pistons and I use a Felpro gasket which compresses to 0.015" the "squish" should be 0.040" which should be a cheap way to approximate your recommendation. The additional question is whether eybrow valve reliefs or a shallow dish in the top of the piston spoil this "squish" ????? For a short duration cam, I like the dual pattern Comp Cam XE250, but maybe the Lazer 255 or Isky 256 "square" cams would work with high compression to start a new trend in street rod engines using short duration cams and high compression to increase the MILEAGE of SBC and other engines in times of expensive fuels.
Second quick question: is the manifold match to vortec heads more difficult to achieve than with earlier heads?
Third question: Does not installing a 383 stroker crank involve shaving/grinding the outside rod bolt (potentially weakening it) as well as grinding clearence on the inside of the block? To my mind it is serious to mess with already weak rod bolts on a first time basis at home and I would be more comfortable with a 383 block set up by a shop who has done it before. Am I wrong about the rod bolt clearance? If this is easy to do in a home garage on a one time basis I would like to know about it. Maybe there is enough wall thickness in the skirt of the block to avoid any weakening of the rod bolt?
Tell me anything more that you can about why reduced squish works and is the 0.040" small enough and what dish or eybrow volume does to the squish.

Just tryin' to learn,
Don Shillady