[aerotest]

The XE is a much more aggressive profile and will act differently than the standard 268. I have the later in my 396. Has a nice little hit at idle and pulls good from 2k up. I recommend a higher stall. I run a 2600 and it’s a little high for 3.08 gears. 2200-2400 is about right. Higher stall helps with high idle shift clunk and A/C idle too. You need to run the 911-16 springs which means all new locks and retainers. As for power....no way 450hp....more like 350 hp with headers and intake on the stock comp ratio. If you raise it to 10.5 then maybe closer to 400. 450 you will need a better set of heads. At that point save your money and build a 454 or 496. My 396 is has stock comp and a 268. It will move out pretty good. Stay safe and race it in the track not the street.