A solid lifter cam does not automatically equal more HP, it's just that in the early/ mid 60's better hydraulic lifters had not yet been fully developed.
The L-79 he was talking about is NOT mechanical tappets, anyhow, it's the incredibly popular "350 hp 327" and there were probably more of those cams sold than any other single cam for street use, at least for awhile. They were a dynamite cam in their day, and they were cheap.
