ya know, since that original post, which was some time ago now, i've had nothing but cam trouble. i originally fitted a comp 270S which was great for a while, until it rounded a lobe off #5 inlet... not happy. i was on a pretty tight budget at the time, so i went with the same cam again and just did the basics.  this cam lasted about an hour...  same problem, same lobe.  really not happy now...  before i tore the engine down, i asked a few questions, did a few checks, and found that the follower on the lobe in question wasn't turning when the engine was running. this got me scratching my head a bit. got the engine out a few months back, stripped it down to the block. removed all oil gallery plugs and got my torch out. found some metal pieces, only small, but must have come from when i originally did the mod to the oil gallerys when fitting a solid cam. they were quite jagged little pieces that had found their way to that follower and were preventing it from spinning. i guess there is a lesson to be learned here, unfortunately for me it's been quite an expensive one. i guess the moral of the story is cleanliness - clean it, then clean it again, and again...  after all of this fun, the car has been off the road for a while. not too big a deal as the winter and salted roads are here so i don't miss it for now. i'm just trying to get the dosh together to build it right this time. 4.250 stroker kit, and all roller. should have gone this route from the start, but i wanted to drive the thing! so, fingers crossed, come the spring, i should have a reliable, somewhat tourqey, 450 - 475hp motor. it's just a shame all this didn't happen earlier - sterling has gone pear-shaped against the dollar lately. oh well, never mind, we'll get there i'm sure. wish me luck!