[blykins]

FE's don't require block clearancing. My advice is go big on the cubes, match the hydraulic roller cam to the displacement, heads, and intake...and you'll have a very stout, streetable engine.

A forged crank is not necessary. The Scat 9000 cranks will handle more power than you'll ever need. There are many 600-700hp FE's running around with those crankshafts.

My advice is to go with a 4.25" Scat crankshaft and pair it up with a nice set of Scat 6.700" BBC rods. The rods will be inexpensive (Chebbie parts are cheap) and there are many piston choices for this combination.

This will net you about 462 cubes. Combined with a nice hydraulic roller, those Edelbrock heads and a nice Edelbrock Performer RPM or Blue Thunder intake, you'll be approaching 600hp with the torque to back it up.