Cast vs. Aluminum heads and bang for buck..

I'm going to go ahead and dispute your flow numbers as well. I'm going to say these untouched Speedmaster heads would flow better...
Heads are like cams. You can dump a .557 lift and 320 duration cam in a stock 318. It's not what's best. Treat heads the same, match the build and components. This is why this thread is SO generic it's silly.