How to build a 13 second 340 Duster
The biggest detail is..read it all, and try to understand it all. Then we can apply it to your situation. If you have an engine that turns and the bores are good, you can do a quicky on it. A quickie for me these days is a crank kit (crank with bearings), a set of rings, and most other wear parts replaced. The fact is, iron heads will cost you $600-$100+ to get "right" and setup for performance work. So that's where the debate about Edelbrocks or others or factory iron comes in. Is the extra performance worth the extra $$ to you. If it's a real 340 car, there are some who will not like seeing eddys on it. In terms of power, it's fairly easy to make 350-375hp with nothing more than a valve job done on the right equipment and using decent parts. If that's what you want, it's cheaper. My biggest peice of advice is plan the engine as a whole, once. There are tons of good ideas here and elswhere. So it can get dizzying...lol. But if you formulate a plan that fits the budget, execute that plan properly..And the result will keep you happy. There's always room for more $$. You can cut costs with things like re-using the balancer, redoing the rods and crank, reusing main bolts if the main bores are OK, re-using rockers and shafts and tin work(oil pan, valve covers, etc)...those savings (providing the parts are good to begin with) will save a bundle. So keep reading..and keep asking.