360 Advice Needed - Autocross / Street Engine Build

I use the Pat Kelley calculator; it is online as a downloadable program. Look near the bottom of this page: Dynamic CR

You can quickly compute SCR on tab 3 and then put in your cam info on tab 2 , then stroke and rod length on tab 1 and then go back to tab 3 and check the DCR box and get DCR. (The trick around a 'bug' in the program is that when you change the cam, then you have to:
- recompute the 'dynamic' stroke on tab 1
- go back and uncheck the DCR box on tab 3, compute the SCR again, and then check the DCR box and compute the new DCR. It seems to need that process to fetch the new cam and stroke info from tabs 1 and 2.)

The DCR is an indicator of what the compression will really be with the intake valve closing angle, and thus is a better indicator of how prone the engine is to detonation. That is all modified in a good way with your quench gap and the AL heads. I ran a low 8's iron headed engine with quench, for years on the road, and towed and did all sorts of low RPM stuff with it, and did not have detonation issues. I did have to run it on premium, and I did have to limit total ignition advance. With you AL heads, you should be better off and can run up into the mid 8's DCR with some care.

Yes on the stock TC stall speeds. BTW, I always rallied with a manual trans, so that is part of my aversion to a high stall TC. You are already going to lose the advantages of 'setting' the car with engine braking through the trans. I'd be curious to hear from others on this point.

As for the cam.....mmmm I personally still would go with the shorter cam durations and work with it. IMHO, it is all about a wide torque band and that starts with a low RPM torque curve, which starts with short cam durations. But it is a somewhat a matter of comfort with the DCR situation; some are averse to getting into the 8+ range, and others will work with it.

As a side note, the Lunati Voodoo cams with their steep ramps put more stress on valvetrains. Ditto with the 1.6 rockers. The better lift-to-duration ratio of both helps with breathing but there is a cost in stress. I chickened out on my son's 340 and used a milder ramp Crane cam (less valve train stress) but with 1.6 rockers (more valvetrain stress).