[cobrashoch]

Anthony - Where do you get this stuff? Form a Chevy hot rod book? Where do I start? The original 63/64 Daytona mystery engine was a modified 409 block that had a simi canted valve setup. It was the fore runner (Mule) of the production 396 and NEVER raced successfully in Nascar. The Daytona mystery engine was retired because it was not competitive, even with the other Chevy entrys. They were power down to the Hemi by over 250 horsepower! In 65/66 Nascar didn't outlaw the Hemis, they were withdrawn by the factory. In part hemigloben(SP) rules were a factor but the fact is Chrysler was in a war with Nascar over sponsorship money. Ford was spending over 12 dollars for Chryslers one dollar at the time. Then G.M. up'ed the talley and little Chrysler was getting edged out! So in 65/66 the hemi was withdrawn and Fords tunnelport won the manufactors championship that year. The next year the hemi was back and it was all Chrysler, and so on, yata ya ya. Hemis went on to race in Nascar well into the mid 70's.
As for Chevys famous canted valve setup it was a direct COPYCAT of the Chrysler polyspherical (hemi headed) engines of the 50's. Chevy even tried to peddle the famous piston speed data test sheets as their own, when in reality it was open data for everyone from Chrysler.
Now let me address this common miss-conception that, only the Chevy crowd has, is that is a 385 is a copy of the a Chevy rat. Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING is the same. The original 67 blocks are much heavier and stronger, the angle canting on the heads are much different and are canted to the intake runner side. And the 385 was the fore runner to the Cleveland designs. I won't even get into what was going on at Fords developemental departments, but in a word they were given blank checks.
A common problem, that is lately going away, is that 385 have been built too much like Chevys and not as 385's, but don't confuse that with what is called the "Chevy" BB engine setup. They are 2 very different things. There is a small block standard and now there is the Honda standard. As to Chevys Nascar success in the 60's. What success? There was none. They weren't even in the same league. The Chevy rat was successful however in muscle cars, and the rest is history.
Yes my Blue Thunder heads are a Chevy setup. But the Ford "B" and "C" heads make more top end power. I built my engine with something else in mind. And Chevy folklure had NOTHING to do with it.
As for the rocker arms, they are NOT the same. Check with any cam seller. Thats part of the misconceptions that only the Chevy crowd has about these engines. About the same? Not even close!
cobrashock