Stopping the knock: Lower compression and ported heads...

Wahooooo! Its running again! :cheers:

Nothing about the reassembly was too difficult but it would have been nice to have a helper with a few things. My brother in law moved back to AZ so I lost my gopher.
The headers smoked off some of the fresh paint as the engine warmed up. No leaks anywhere so far. I washed the car for the first time in several months. It sounds great and idles about the same as before. Timing is set to 19 initial and 33 total. I'm sure it can take more timing but I'm going to have to run out the 110 fuel or pump it back out, then run 91 exclusively to see. I understand that most guys run between 34 and 37 degrees of total timing. Don at FBO ignition said that running at 30 or 31 degrees total timing instead of 36 degrees could have cost me between 35 and 50 HP.
No, I did not recheck the cam timing. My reasoning was that I degreed it twice before and came up with the same numbers, so I figured that it should be right. Besides, as a timing chain stretches, the cam timing retards, right? I have seen quality chains stretch even after only a few hundred miles.
I have a Rev-n-nator ignition ECU that I might try using. I tried it before when I had the 509 cam and nearly 11.0 to one compression. It detonated worse even though I retarded the timing per their suggestion. I like the idea of having a rev limiter.
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To the guys that felt that the thicker head gaskets would make the car run like a mid 70s 440 with 8.0 compression:
While I appreciate the many, many responses to the multiple threads I've started over the internet, to compare a smogged out 440 to my engine isn't really a direct comparison. In 1976, every American car I know of had a catalytic converter and single exhaust. The Chryslers of that era had closed element air cleaners, milder cams, air injection exhaust manifolds, EGR, lean running Thermoquads and those cars weighed almost 4800 lbs!
How many Mopar guys are running open chamber 906, 346 or 452 heads on their engines? Plenty, I'd guess. They often run quite well even though they have no quench going on.