360 build for dart swinger

8.5 on iron heads would generally be considered quite risky, too risky for pump gas; I've done 8.3 on pump premium on iron but with a good quench gap, and it was on the edge; ignition timing had to be watched when going from 1500' elevation down to sea level. When you get close to and then past 8:1 of 'effective' DCR (effective includes the effects of altitude for an N/A engine), you gotta start paying close attention to things. Of course, race fuels and additives can let you got past that. And AL heads are a blessing in this regard.

I think you are referring to the quality issues for hydraulic flat tappet lifters. I have always been a user of HFT's but with the way these things have gone downhill, you gotta be ready to go back in and weed out a few that go bad. So your point is well taken. Getting mechanical cams of any type (flat or roller lifters) in the smaller grinds for this range of TQ/HP has traditionally been a problem but I am not up to speed on all of them. Maybe someone here has some good ones to recommend.