Any progress on this plan? I still suggest biting the bullet & getting some forged pistons, they come up on ebay for around $300 pretty frequently (I would rather use used forgings than new cast pistons). Since you are building the 360, your choices are more than with the 390/401, since you will be using the smaller wrist pin. You can use SBC flattops and get the valve reliefs machined just as you need them. Isky used to rent out the milling tools for doing that using your valve guides as the arbors. They may still rent the tools out. Not too sure if you'd be safe milling cast pistons for the needed piston to valve clearance, I certainly would not ever feel safe modifying cast pistons. I always use the 1/16" top ring groove size pistons, thinner rings are more performance oriented. Always use full-floating pins & forced oiling to the pins. You probably know all this already, but for those that don't, there it is.
What did it cost for the offset grind of the crank? A SHORTER stroke would yield MORE horsepower!!!! But at a slightly higher RPM, 500 or so more.
Are you building this to meet stock specs for NHRA/IHRA, or what (claimer?)?
What are you using for cam, intake, carb, exhaust? (modeling your engine in Dyno2000)
If you DO go for forged pistons, and DO use 390/401 rods, you can push your redline way up & go a different way with the cam/carb/intake, & make a bunch more ponies. May or may not need custom pistons, most likely can find an off the shelf item that can work.
Also, Total Seal gapless rings are more costly but offer around 10% more power (0% leakdown versus up to 10%).
Putting in 2.08/1.74 valves can offer more HP if you are moving that much air, and, of course, with porting can be worth 50-100HP more.
500575HP would probably be about the max, so all the extra expense will get you between 50100HP. But the forged parts would allow safer high RPM op & the option of safely adding up to a 350HP shot of NOS if you get the block O-ringed. That would be just under 1000HP on the bottle!!!
A cheaper way to get 1000HP is to go turbo with low compression forged pistons & forged rods. Metering the fuel would probably be the biggest challenge, financially. A "home brewed" setup is quite easy to do but going with all the newest gadgets would be salty. Turbo works better with the smaller engines, 290, 304, etc., since they have a thicker cylinder wall.
