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

When I built this engine in 2004, I was in a bit of a hurry. I had just thrown a rod in a rebuilt 440 and needed to put something together because the wife and I had bought a house and we were moving. The rod in the 440 broke between the big and little end. This made me think that I'd be better off buying new rods for the next engine. I figured that since I needed new pistons and rods, why not get a whole rotating assembly?
I'll admit that I was mesmerized by the feel and sounds of a rumpity-rump cam. If all I cared about was looking like a "neighborhood gearhead with the hot rod" I'd stick with the current combo. As I have said before, the majority of the engines that I have built were pretty close to stock. This was my first stroked engine, my second with aluminum heads, my first solid cam....I had no experience with driving and owning a car with a radical cam and a high stall converter. This has shown me that I prefer an engine with better low to midrange power and better street manners.