I agree 100% that cast iron sucks, it’s heavy, it’s MISERABLE to port and all that. It is what it is.
I‘m not sure what’s hard to get for them though. I see the stuff all the time.
At 2780 with me in it, the car would run (with W2 heads) 139-141 MPH (went quicker and faster on W5’s years later) in the 9.50’s-9.70’s depending on the weather at Woodburn. There was some left in the clutch and chassis but not much. That was on 340 inches.
I have no issue with Indy 360-1 or -2’s. They never come up.
Some of the later W2 castings came through with dowel pin holes not drilled deep enough. If it wasn’t caught when they were torqued down they would crack, or they would crack after a few heat cycles.
You seriously don’t believe that aluminum heads don’t leak, fracture and have pin hole issues do you? You had one head (or a set) fail and you condemn the whole lot?