[Outlaw72]

70stroker,

I've been down this big block road once or twice here lately and to be honest.....this is my most valuable input. It doesn't look like you are trying to kill every bit of the competition so here is my input and exactly what I would do....

Keep your heads and have them reconditioned. Add springs to them that match whichever cam you go with. That takes care of the heads. I can suggest a decent aluminum head but with BBC, you get what you pay for. Those pro-comp heads are trot line weights. Cast in china and very unreliable. A good aluminum head is going to break your budget unfortunately but AFR, DART and BRODIX are good quality heads.

Depending on how much damage is done to your current bottom end, it might be safe to go ahead and purchase the Scat kit. If it were just a regular rebuild, I would even sway away from that. BBC short blocks are much stronger than some people give credit. Stud the mains, line bore the block and put a 7/16 rod bolt in the rods. It will take a ton of horsepower all day long. But not knowing the condition of your short block, hard to tell. I don't replace unless it's broken but that's just me. If your short block can be saved to save a little money, I would go that route.

Be sure to calculate machine work into your budget.....that machine work adds up.....Bore cylinders, hone cylinders, line bore, vat and cleanup, balance ect...ect....before you know it that budget will be gone! There's a reason for the issue so I would have a good machinist check that block out unless you feel comfortable doing it with your tools. Good luck...