And i have all the parts to make it solid.The Goon pictured above is typical Az. rust free. and will be going to the boneyard in the next couple of months.
Back in 68 Pontiac rated the 400CI motor in the GTO at 350HP.The SAME motor was in the Firebird(which was a ligher car )but was rated at 345HP.this was accomplished with a "throttlestop" on the Firechicken.Moral of the story?Pontiac didn't want the Firebird being faster than their"Flagship"-the GTO.Catch my drift?
No tower shims.It changes cam rocker geometery.Use the advance holes in the cam gear.First get a measurement on how much the head will be cut to get it flat.
MOPAR- an acronym for "motor parts".Chrysler's factory racing program was called "Direct Connection".Best factory backed program to ever exist.The stuff you could walk into the dealer & buy would give you guys "wood" for a month.
If you are sure you've torqued them down correctly,don't try again.Take the head off,get it milled.Good fasteners and then make sure you advance the cam sprocket key to match.You can hurt these heads to the point they are FUBAR.
Price is a local thing.As for headbolts,i used ARP studs for my build either because NOS headbolts weren't available or were so expensive,i'd be a fool not to use ARP studs.
Take everything apart.Forget about a straight edge,take to a shop and have them cut it to make sure it's straight.Then get some studs as i THINK new head bolts are no longer available.
You'll spend more money acquiring the carbs,getting them right,then you will on the FI.
Both systems will require the complete removal of the fuel system and its rubber component replacement.After that,any FI issues are NORMALLY connector related.Parts are still available such as TPS,AFM,FP,FPR.