Take a look at what the 68 & 69 BB darts are doing in stock eliminator. A cast iron head that has some tricks but very close to stock. A relatively stock profile camshaft(ramp and duration are adjustable) that puts these cars into mid 10's. That head and motor are working with lift below .500. As mentioned, a Stealth head with a cam under .525 and the right converter and gear will bring you down to 11.0 and easily into the 10's. Nothing exotic, just parts working together.
Lol...fast stocker heads are nowhere close to stock, other than the valve size. Stocker cams are wild duration and overlap profiles. Roller cam profiles with stock lift basically. Plus, $2500 carbs, $6000 transmissions all equate the the 1 second under ETS.
That said to not mislead the OP, your closing comments are spot on. A 440 that seals well and the right cam/converter/gear should get in the 10’s if it hooks with entry level aluminum heads.
