BES built a 401 NA that made 700 under 6500 RPM for the engine masters a few years back, add another 20-30 cubes, a few more RPM and don't follow all the engine master rules and a normal guy should be able to do it.

I like NA because it is more simple under the hood than any other power adder. I get sick of working on these new fangled cars for a living because they try to stuff so much stuff under the hood, I want my hotrod to be simple.

If you want to read a well-written discussion of 300M, go to the website:
http://www.epi-eng.com/
Then click on the Piston Engine Technology button, then on the connecting rod subject.

Whether your connecting rods have notch sensitivity or not depends on the heat treat. This is discussed in that chapter.

R.

If you call $7000 plus affordable.

For the kind of power it can put out it's very affordable, and a smart way to do it. Drives like a pussycat but 1000 hp when you nail it, I'd say 7K well spent. Probably more like 10K, the drop in piston/rod combo is around 2K, the other 1K for head studs, good gaskets, headers etc. Unless you start with a big gas truck engine, they already come with forged pistons apparently