something does not add up
If I remember correctly (lotsa luck there) the recess is .100 on those heads
sounds like more than a few cc to me
"I'm wondering if I should go with the open chamber edelbrock heads (60179) instead to help keep the CR down a little further"
absolutely not
No quench and
do you have 93 in your area ? AWOL here in SOCAL
with those heads it can be done but everything has to be right they work better with high octane and lower gears and looser converter- motor revved up
compared to closed chamber they do not like a long pull up a hill (or towing) as much
run the closed chamber with the piston cc AND gasket to get the CR you want then pick the cam - much more leeway with octane and timing and cam
do not increase the gasket with 0 deck over .040 just to lower compression- it's counter-productive
in otherwords deck clearance + gasket .030-.040 with closed chamber heads
as yr says they have to go together
Typical Hughes lack of info on that cam- you can't tell what the seat timing is so you cannot determine where the intake closes so you can't determine your Dynamic CR or estimate your cranking compression
Check Howard's website for a lobe similar .050 and lift to the Hughes and write it down then someone can advise you and Dynamic compression and detonation restience
allow for carbon buildup if this is a street machine
also check lunati Voodo and Bullett they all have similar shelf cams with different LCA s depending on what you need
