What JD said.
I built a 440 a couple of years back using TF 240 heads. With their cam package, the quoted HP was over 600, 624 I believe. [ On TF website ]. Another example where bigger is not always better....
I want to take the approach of modern engines... Lots of head flow capacity to make the power. It's been confirmed in recent years that the BBM platform is "under-headed" in factory form. I've watched the Engine Masters episode multiple times now and it really says something if they picked up 40-something lb-ft across the board on a fairly mild 10.3:1 440 with a small ~230° @ .050", sub-.600" lift cam just from swapping from 240cc to 270cc heads alone. The two versions of heads cost basically the same anyway.
Maybe later I can beef up the bottom end and/or add a stroker kit (or turbo??) to support even more power if I need it. Thinking about the overall goals though, I believe I can get deep into the 10s with an honest 600 HP in the right car. Going quicker than that requires a cage and a lot more safety stuff iirc from the NHRA rules.
