400 motor parts

i get the sentiment of wanting to boil the hides at 45... but i'd be going about in a different way and building something that makes an absolute mountain of torque downtown... and a tarantula with a 274 isn't really the best way to do that. but i digress...

i'd yank the valve covers and have a look see what you've got cooking. hell, even pull the intake and see what's up porting wise if you're feeling frisky. you're out, what, the cost of gaskets to confirm things? seeing that big single plane and a cam like that means somebody likely knew what time it was, and there's a probability that the heads have some work done and it's got compression. and a compression test could give you an idea there.

personally, i'd be getting it running before spending dime one on parts. might be just fine and dandy as it is. and if not, what's the big deal of waiting 11 months to spend that dough? hell, the car might not even be back together by then.