455 / Crower 60919 / Rhoads / 1.65 recommendation

[KJMason]

Cliff,
When we last spoke and I ordered a kit for the QJ you had recommended the Crower/Rhoads/1.65 combination; however, at the time I thought I had between a 10.5 to 11.2:1 CR based on my RPM heads which I believed had a 72cc CC.  After starting to pull things apart and found the actual casting numbers on the heads things are different.  My heads are some of the first ones produced in the mid-'90's and Edelbrock appears to have initially sold all of their round port Pontiac heads as "RPM" regardless of CC size.  Now the 87cc ones are Performer and the 72cc are Performer RPM (except for CNC and NHRA heads.)  I still haven't CC'd my heads but estimate that with a nominal 87cc my CR should be between 9.8 and 10.5:1. 

Does this change your RAIV recommendation?

Here are the engine specs:
455 +0.030
TRW flat top pistons
Stock bottom end
GM HEI
Holley rebuilt QJ 7040562 w/Manual choke
Edelbrock Performer Intake (yes, I know I should switch to Performer RPM...maybe later)
Edelbrock 87CC round port heads
COMP 1.65:1 roller tip rockers
Hedman headers/3" dual exhaust
TH400 & 3.08 rear end

Does this change the carb specs your recommended?

Idle tubes .037 (new tubes part of my order)
Plug Holley's "added" main casting upper IAB and unplug the original air horn IAB
Upper IAB .052
Lower IAB .070
DCR?
Unplug the Idle Air Bypass channels (also plugged courtesy of Holley)
I don't remember what the lower bypass were drilled to.  What do you recommend?
Upper and Lower MAB .067
Secondary POE tube restrictions are too large (.043) but you thought this would be OK
Plug small holes next to POE tubes
Don't bother replacing the missing Primary POE tubes

I forgot to ask you about the Secondary POE restrictions.  They are currently .063 and your recipe indicated .055 was optimum.  Should these be reduced and, since the restrictions are recessed is there a trick to doing this or is this one of those cases where the ports have to be plugged with rods and then redrilled to the correct size?

Thanks Cliff
Kevin Mason

[KJMason]

bump

[Cliff Ruggles]

We actually built the test engine for KRE's 500hp "crate" motor.  This was before they made the KRE heads.

We used unported 87cc Edelbrock heads, Crower 60919 cam, Rhoad's lifters and high ratio rocker arms.

That engine made 505hp/551tq, idled with 12" vacuum at 750rpm's, and pushed a 3900lb 1971 Firebird to mid 11's at 118 mph on it's first outing, and was driven to the track. 

I think the results pretty much speak for themselves.....Cliff