cast iron heads vs aluminum for stroked 340

Agreed, won't be a hydraulic cam. Was hoping for that too, but that's not in the cards. And that's ok.

Only way it works is for it all to work together, and that's part of the equation.

I won't build a car to spin 7.5k, want nothing to do with a single plane manifold, and building power from 4500+ isn't what I think of as streetable. If I did that I'd tub it, trailer it, and take it to the strip.