[blykins]

Like Chaplin said, you have a lot of experienced guys in this thread....one that used to work for a BIG name automotive supplier and now runs his own business dealing with engines...and several others who have been around the block a time or two. This isn't really an opinion issue. It's more of a "this is how you need to do it, no questions asked" type of issue.

A couple of things that I'm seeing:

1. You're gonna need an awfully big cam to get a 498ci FE to rev the way you want. To get 498ci to make power at 6500-7000rpm, my guess is that your duration at .050" would need to be in the 260-270 range, if not higher.

2. If you're using said cam, you're gonna need some awfully big valve springs to keep everything in check. With that much valve spring pressure, I really, really, really think you need to remove the inner springs.