Small block combo suggestions

48 cruise is perfect, up around 2200 or better.
Try not to blame detonation on the cooling system yet. My engine has far more compression and it has always run at 205* or better.Even with the Scr over 11.3 (aluminum heads), 205 was no problem. I would consider the minimum running temperature the last place to go. The hotter she runs without melting down, the more power you will find and the better the fuel mileage will be. So I run as hot as I can get away with. The trick is to have a rock-solid cooling system that you can depend on,that runs at exactly the same temperature all summer long,day and night,in traffic and out! So,IMO, kiss electric fans off. The temperature swing is just too great. It is my opinion that a simple clutch-fan with a temperature compensatory valve, on an adequate rad/pump/giant fan/combo gets the job done. And I was willing to sacrifice a few HP at redline to drive that monster fan,to get it.
Pick a temp. Make it rock-steady.Tune from there. If you just can't get rid of the Det, having tried everything else, then and only then would I consider backing down the running temp.
But that's how I roll.And its been over 16 years, and 125,000 miles and still going.

Ok so maybe this temp thing is unclear. The cooling system is just the straw thay breaks the camel's back. The difference from 180 to 160 is like 20* right? The difference between detonation and no detonation can be several hundred degrees in the chambers. You just cannot band-aid that with a 160 stat!
The first place to look is octane and cylinder pressure.
Then timing
Then fuel
Then load
Then the minimum running temp.
That is my opinion and has served me well. I just cannot tune 200psi on 87, no matter how hard I try. They don't make a carburetor small enough nor street gears low enough.But I can crank a ton of timing into a roto-tiller, crank up the governor, and bust me up some really hard earth and big clods.