I'm new to the forum, but not to the site. I'v found great information here, and a group of people second to none. No 'stupid' questions thrown back at ya.

I hope you can guide me then with a low budget build that I'm about to start ordering parts for. My vehicle is an 84 Ramcharger two by four, and I chose it mainly because of 'looks' and being the rear drive only configuration. The plan beyond nice wheels and tires 'fat, skinnies' was to build the motor, a 74 Dodge Dart 318. I had envisioned the block prep, utalizing KB 167's zero deck, stock cast crank 'likely' and the RHS heads in the 'LA' version. Hugh's was looking like a good source. With the heads, the manifold was not yet chosen, nor was the camshaft. You should know the Ramcharger weigh's in at about 4200 lbs possibly a scoush more, but I'll be working on that later, hoping for around 38-3900 lbs. A 904 with around 355 gears. Currently it's a 2.94-1.... 8 1/4 rear, but I'm working on getting a 9". Ok back to the motor.... it will go .030 over with the KB's and I'm thinking in the range of 500 lift, and and Eddy Airgap, with a 600-650 cfm Holley, with port matching, into Hooker Comps with the 2.5" collector, out through psuedo AAR Cuda type front of tire dumps. With the small valve RHS heads on a motor like this, without stroking, will the motor perform well, and can I expect to approach 400 hp? or more? Of course, I hate to say it, but I'm a camshaft idiot, It's a science that appears more 'magic' to me than VooDoo. I know this will probably require a 'Stall' converter and maybe the matching flex plate, but I may be able to come up with an 883 4 speed and assembly too. That's an after though at the moment though. I'v spent countless hours all over the web looking at the strengths of the RHS heads, and other than the 'CHINA' thing, and the different years of the good head production, only see possatives with using them. So the question.... a first bore 318 with KB 167's maybe K1 H beams and the afore mentioned combo. I realize my cast crank would be the weak link, but I expect to shift at torque rather than horse power which usually comes in 5-800 rpm lower, thus sparing the rotating assembly some. 400 to 450 hp the goal. Realistically, 400 really. Thanks for your opinions, and feel free to correct my thinking if need be....... Rich.