I have stock heads and have done 11s...
With a balanced high compression Stroker underneath them...
Do you think a shade tree mechanic is going to take a stock as a rock bottom end 360 with stock crank stock Pistons stock rods unlikely cheap eBay bearings and rings and some second hand Magnum heads with pinned seats and amateur Home Port job with zero weight loss program going to do 11/8.. understand tossing in solid Cam, new converter, and some steep gears that he's not willing to go to on pump gas and drive it to the track back and forth and this thing's going to survive 11.8 passes summer after summer driving back and forth... ?..
Personally I have no regrets putting good money into a solid bottom end Stroker and now I can play the head game and the cam game and the carb game all I want and still drive back and forth to the track without as much worry...