| John's Cost |
| MFG | PN | Description | Price |
| ARP | 135-9801 | Accessory bolt kit | 80 |
| | 135-2501 | Balancer bolt | 21 |
| | 135-3601 | Head bolts | 56 |
| Aerohead Racing | new GM 14097088 | Cast-iron heads | 895 |
| | | Install ARP 71/416-inch studs | |
| | | & Manley guideplates | 100 |
| | | Valvespring upgrade | 120 |
| Edelbrock | 2902 | Victor Jr. 454-R | 230 |
| Fel-Pro | 1017-1 | Head gaskets | 80 |
| | 1275 | Intake gaskets | 15 |
| | 1606 | Valve cover gaskets | 16 |
| Isky Racing Cams | 202-H | Lifters | 107 |
| | 203-96 | Pushrods | 120 |
| JMS Racing Engines | | 496/505 short-block | 3,295 |
JMS Racing EnginesIncluded ARP main-bearing cap studs; Federal-Mogul bottom gaskets, cam bearings, rod bearings, and timing set; Isky solid flat-tappet camshaft; RPM International nodular iron crankshaft w/ 4.250-inch stroke and forged H-beam rods, 6.385 inches; KB Performance 0.100-over Premium Forged pistons and rings.
| | | Labor to finish engine assembly | 600 |
| | | Flexplate | 35 |
| Summit | SUM-164800 | Adjustable Timing Pointer | 25 |
| | SUM-G6930B | Aluminum roller rocker arms, 1.7:1 | 210 |
| | SUM-G3312 | Chrome valve covers | 30 |
| | SUM-162454 | OEM Harmonic Balancer | 84 |
| | SES-3-90-08-910 | Summit Moroso Oil Pan Kit | 210 |
| | SUM-G3201 | Chrome timing cover | 11 |
| | SUM-G3405 | Valve cover breathers (2) | 20 |
| | | Total | $6,360 |
We sourced RPM International...
We sourced RPM International for a set of its 6.385-inch forged H-beam rods. An H-beam rod actually requires a little less block clearancing than an I-beam piece. They're lightweight, and our set all scaled-in within a gram of each other out of the box. Nice.
Jeff Johnson then laid our...
Jeff Johnson then laid our newly balanced RPM cast crank in place and installed ARP main studs, which JMS considers a must when making any kind of power with a two-bolt block. The studs go in finger-tight only, and without moly-lube in the block.
Speaking of nice...we chose...
Speaking of nice...we chose a set of KB's new Premium Forged pistons in the appropriate 0.100-over size, with a matching set of rings. Mike Johnson was surprised by how light our slugs were (731 grams with pin and spacer); he was delighted that our set of eight all weighed within 0.5 gram, as delivered. Really nice.