Which heads are best

moper said
Pretty much every Mopar head, big or small block I've ever checked was larger than the advertised specs said. I'm sure others have had different results as was already posted. That's because even chamber to chamber you can get some wild fluctuations... That's just factory casting QC, old valve jobs, etc. If you stay open chamber, they will be fairly big. Have them CC'd, and made to be what you need them to be. I think anything over 10:1 static will want a cam around 230° @ .050 at minimum to keep out of detonation with some available pump swill, even with careful tuning. Not because the combo suck - because the fuels can be that bad. Personally I don't consider a 900-1000rpm idle as liveable in a cruiser but maybe you're good with it.
Really - lose the requirement for power brakes and you'd be miles ahead of where you are now.

I was with you until the idle part. Back when these cars were NEW, the idle speed was 750-800 RPM. Then, you add ANY cam and it went up from there. A 1200 RPM idle is nothing, unless you are concerned with CAFE standards, because that is why idle speeds have dropped. In fact, it can be argued (and I have to do it often) that lower idle speeds will do more to damage a SFT or HFT cam than almost anything else.

My new cam will idle no lower than 1200 RPM because I run enough spring pressure that I want the lifters sliding over the lobe with a purpose and have enough oil coming off the rods to keep the cam lubed.