Hi all, I'm new to this forum and I wanted to get y'alls take on my Cleveland engine buildup...

Block - 73 4-bolt main block, bored .030 and 'short filled' with HardBlok

Crank - stock cast crank turned .010/.010

Rods - Stock rods, reconditioned and shotpeened, ARP bolts

Pistons - TRW Boss 351 style dome (yeah, I know they're heavy)

Oil pump - 'blueprinted' Melling High Volume w/ Motorsport driveshaft

Oil pan - Milodon w/Milodon windage tray ARP main studs.

Cam - Lunati Bracket Master Hydraulic flat tappet .536/.562 224/234 @ .050 with appropriate lifters, springs, retainers and locks

Pushrods - Crane

Heads - D3ZZ-AA castings (open chamber 4V), milled .020, converted to adjustable valvetrain. one-piece stainless 2.19/1.73 valves, bowl/pocket ported. ARP headbolts. (compression works out to about 10.75:1)

Timing set - Cloyes true roller

Ignition - Ford Duraspark distributor triggering MSD-6AL

Intake - Weiand X-cellerator 4V

Carb - Holly vac sec 780cfm

Fuel Pump - Electric w/new 3/8" line

Aluminum High-volume water pump.

SFI-approved fluid damper

Exhaust - Hooker ceramic super comp w/3" pipes to 3" flowmasters.

Trans - C-6 with extra clutches, TCI race 10" 4000-stall converter

Rear - 9" 3.91 Detroit Locker

Tires and wheels - Centerline Draglites - FRONT - 15x3/Goodyear 25" frontrunners REAR - 15x8.5/Goodyear 28x10 slicks.

All this is going in my '73 Cougar that has been lightened by removing bumper reinforcement and isolators (130# gone there alone!), A/C deleted, battery relocated to trunk, welded-in subframe connectors, traction bars. Car should weigh in at around 3600# empty (was 3850 stock).

I'm hoping for 12.20s or better out of this combo.... Any guesstimates guys????

Things I may consider if racing goes well this next year -

Aluminum heads? or 4V iron quench heads?
Bigger cam? Roller cam?

I really don't want to go faster than 11.70 or the track might start hinting that I need a cage... one for the car, too! ;^)~

on edit, title changed -blizz

...I would worry about the possible detonation problems with an open chambered head, I would use the steel quench head if your not wanting to use an aluminum head.

Going with a closed chamber head would raise my compression to over 12.5:1 so that's out. Right now this is still a street/strip car and will be running on pump gas primarily. Yes, you can still run pump gas at 10.75:1. My wife's bone-stock 70 Mach has a 11:1 351C-4V and it gets pump gas with a gallon or two of race gas mixed in per tankful every so often.

If I get more serious into racing (ie if I am still good at it after a twenty-year hiatus ) I might want to change the engine a bit... but this is an awfully heavy car to be racing. I'd be dollars ahead if I built up another lighter car for race-only duty.