Junkyard 360 LA Head Porting Questions

shittyslant6 said
I am starting to budget out a simple 360 LA build for my duster so I can know how much money to save. With this, I need a few opinions to help make up my mind. Like the title says, I am getting the engine from a junkyard: pick-a-part, and I am contemplating getting the complete motor (no accessories); $269.00 or just the short block; $195.00.

If I were to get the complete motor, would the stock 360 LA truck heads be worth the trouble porting, polishing and getting milled down? I have heard that the later truck heads crack easily, but I am not so sure they are as fragile as people say.

Or, If I get the short block and pay a little extra for some 340 heads with the same treatment, would the power gains be worth the extra money?

(The end goal for this motor would be to rev to 76-7700 reliably, have 510hp(probably dreaming), and to have 12.5:1 compression(also probably a pipe dream) more like 11:1).

Yes I will have the block blueprinted and balanced, forged pistons, ARP bolts/studs, clevite grooved bearings, and all of the usual oiling mods. I was just on the fence about the heads and the potential power and reliability gains/benefits compared to the price.

Personally, I like factory heads on a street engine; but if you're gunning for 12.5 or even 11:1 and 7600 rpm, I don't know why you're even considering factory LA heads. By the time you add up the machine work, parts (valves, springs, retainers, etc.) and port work necessary to achieve those goals you'll be well within the cost of aftermarket aluminum heads be they TFs, Eddies, Speedmasters, whatever- name your flavor; out of the box with even more potential with a little work to them... not to mention it's easier to run that kind of compression with an aluminum head.
But just so you know, 510 hp and 7600rpm is going to go a little beyond a "simple 360 build"... but I guess your definition could be a bit different than mine. :)