You guys would make a good posse, but for good or bad, the days of frontier justice are gone. There is no pay pal or electronic mailing available in this case, without getting into details. I feel confident I will eventually have my refund, so I am focusing on the build.
My concern with heads is not with where they are made, but performance. I will cc the chambers and runners before I do anything, so I will know what I have. Since I am starting from scratch on choosing heads, all those I passed on are back on the list. I liked the modified Vortec heads because of performance available and price. Scoggin Dickey, Summit Canfield, GM Performance, etc, etc. have all been looked at. Cost is an issue, so I'm looking for the biggest bang for what little I have to spend.
I'm staying with a 355 and not stroking due to cost. Also, it is going into a bracket racer, so i don't need torque that will create traction issues. It will be built on a 4-bolt 3970010 high nickle block. The cast crank may be good to go without a cut and I will reuse the original rods after cleaning and balancing. The block will be decked, but I want the heads before any decisions are made in that regard. My experience building engines has been limited to stock rebuilds. Choosing HP parts is limited to following guidance from books by David Vizard and others. Those who have built a 355 similar to what I'm after might make suggestions on parts that work best.
It doesn't appear I will have the engine ready for the beginning of the 09 Summit Points season, so my old motor will have to do. Once I get my slipping transmission swapped out, I'll be back in action. Thanks MYBAD79!!