there's a guy at our track who's been making horsepower with a comma for many years with a stock block- fill and girdle. scary, but he has had zero problems. the mega blocks have not been so lucky. i think if you take pains, use the good parts and the best machine work and assembly, a good stock block can endure a lot. and there's that hot rod build up. what was that, about 1400? yikes.