I completely agree on using the short block as the foundation for someone's own build. From my perspective the components used, assembly, the time involved from ones pulling the trigger to actually having a rotating assembly on the stand, and for the price, it can't be beat. Sure, the options are limited, more hd or serious hp race oriented parts, more involved machining processes could be used, but for "most" it's much more than adequate for any stout build. I could have gone further on the EQ heads, max porting, bigger valves, or gone aluminum with same mods, bigger cam, single plane intake, etc etc, and really had a serious power plant, but as I documented in my thread, the route I first started on ended up morphing into this stroker as the foundation. I could have persisted and stuck with my initial plan of doing the short block assembly myself. But as it turns out, the route taken was for the best. No regrets, second thoughts, or doubts about quality, value, or whether there was a better option. I'd do it again no hesitation. And believe me, if I have to drag this van 200 miles up the highway in order to run it down the 1/4 mile, take a day off in the middle of the week (typical test and tunes) in order to do it, which can't come soon enough......stay tuned!:)
