building 273..or not

My own opinion, it needs to be a labor of love to build a 273. Pistons and head gaskets are the real problems. A smaller displacement really gets affected a lot from the loss of static compression and unless you pay to blueprint the block, and pay to buy custom pistons with good valve reliefs but tall enough to still have compression, and pay for a set of thin, small bore head gaskets, the result is it's hard to get decent static ratio. Decent being 9.5-10:1 true compression. That's not to say they won't run, and run well. But it limits other choices like cam, gearing, convertor, etc. They most certainly can be built, and buil to make some great power for a street car. But it takes more than shelf parts and a thin budget. I have a 273 for my '65, but chances are it will get either a 5.2L Magnum or LA 360 dressed like the 273 because I don't have the cash to spend on what I'd call properly building the 273.