Yes, the engine masters motor
needed ported heads (and a bigger cam too).
Some food for thought on what good heads can do for a stroker (my previous engine combo):
- 410 stroker, 10.8:1 compression, ported Edelbrocks by Ryan J @ Shadydell
- Small "street" roller cam (Comp XR286R)
- Victor intake, 750dp carb (built by me) drinking e85
This pushed my Barracuda to 10.5's @ 126mph in street trim, through the mufflers. That is somewhere in the mid 500's for horsepower....mostly due to good port work.