[rritchey]

johnnyquest,

I can tell you for sure that if they are starting with a 390 block (which they are) there are pitiful few 390 blocks that have the pads / bosses on the inside to accomodate real functional cross bolts. For $100 they are tapping the side of the block, machining a washer bearing surface around the bolt hole on the outside, and putting in a very short 3/8" bolt so it looks like a cross bolt. It costs more than $100 just to buy a set of 427 caps that accept cross bolts. I'm not dissing them or saying anything bad about them, it's just more eye candy for those who want the look of cross bolts. There are also many other items that visibly differentiate a 406 block from a 390 block such as casting numbers and so on, so I don't really see the reason for doing it. Not all 406 blocks were cross bolted anyway. Just another person's 2 cents.