That can be true. But......and this is the really unfortunate part......since these engines haven't produced for better than thirty years, "AS IS" good buildable cores are really getting harder and harder to find. Used to be you could find them in salvage yards all day long and under 100 bucks. I can remember having a friend who owned a local yard. He'd call me up any time they'd get a big block Chevy in and I'd go get it for 75 bucks. I even got a couple of aluminum headed engines at that price. Course, this was back in the early 80s. I had over thirty good core engines in my back yard at one point. You simply cannot find them "like that" anymore. I was blessed this time though with good parts from a good friend. I did have to put "a little" work in saving the crank, but six gallons of vinegar was cheaper than having it dipped or blasted. Plus it was more fun. lol
And you hit it. That's what this is all about. Having a decent engine for your "ride" your street car. This engine will not have 8:1 compression, but I just bet it'll boil the hides and do it dead reliably. The old big bore motor is bound to have some good torque.
