Thanks Mike -
I think you will agree that roller cams (including lifters, springs, retainers, seats) have come a long way in the last 10 years - it used to be that a roller was a for sure a bad thing on a street car that was driven around with lots of idling and low rpm use - not that todays rollers should be driven like an old lady but they are more tolerant of it.
I am pretty comfortable with my choice based on the cars use, how frequently I adjust valves, change the
oil, and generally keep an eye on things as well as the fact that I have a dry sump.
I suspect your comment about building an engine that would only give up 20 hp while using a flat tappet cam was kind of like saying that you could build a 300 cubic inch engine that would make almost as much hp as a 400 cubic inch engine - true if you spec'ed the hell out of the 300 incher and kept the 400 incher pretty tame.......is that what you were saying?
Take care,
Pat
PS - Turk and I need some of those neat exhaust clamps - I recall you saying you had a line on them...do you still?