Small Block X-Head Gurus in NC ...

They are date coded to the car so I'm more interested in optimizing them for a decent cam through the production exhaust manifolds , ported heads with a match ported intake etc... no going for all out power

Hey they will work fine for what you want to do. Heck I ran 11.82 with a set over 40 years ago and lots of guys have gone a lot faster than that. That damn cast iron leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you are grinding on it.