New to the Olds world, building a 455 an need help..

[bennymac]

I just bought a '72 Olds 455 motor off a friend. He had started building it an lost interest. so far the bottom end is pretty much done with, high compression pistons stock arms(new), high volume oil pump and double roller timing chain with new gears. the heads are G heads with after market valves, springs an rockers. the heads were hot tanked, but not ported.. should i have them ported before i re-assemble? i need to get a cam, intake manifold, carb and distributor.. I wanted to know what people recommended and if there was anything i've over looked.. the motor is going in an '84 chevy c10 with a ford 9" rear end with 3.73 gears and a 400 trans. it's a street truck with weekends at the track. thank for any help...

[70Wcars]

Alot of your choices will depend on the use the truck will see most...The best intake currently avail. is the Edel. Performer...I am a huge fan of the good old Q-jet carbs as they offer the best balance of econ. and perf. Cams are tricky for any street/strip use ..too much duration is no fun, and too little can hinder your performance. The generic 214-224 at .050. is not a bad call and the Engle ( Mondello ) 216-226 is great as well. Sacrifice some idle quality for power and go with the Engle 226-230...No reason to port the heads for what you want...hope this helps.