"...Oldschool, you wouldnt go with round ports alum heads??? If not, why?..."
No need for round ports. The D-ports will make plenty of power for a street 400. AND, the D-port headers are much cheaper.
"... I bought the Comp Cam kit. Lifters, springs, timing chain etc. Would you not buy the kit for the build?"
You can buy a kit if you'd like. I prefer to buy the cam I want, the lifters I want, and springs that will work correctly with the cam, regardless of what brand each part is.
But, if you prefer to buy it all together, most all the cam grinders will sell you the whole kit, using their products. Just pick out the cam you want, tell 'em the intalled height of the springs, with the heads & valve length you'll be using, and they'll sell you what they think you need.
That brings this to mind. Probably the MOST important thing is to have your machine work done by someone who knows & has experience building Pontiac engines. A Chevy shop can really mess up a Pontiac engine build. I learned the hard, expensive way.
I like the idea of a little extra oil splashed on the cam lobes. So, the Crower Cam Saver lifters might be a good idea. If you want these lifters & a kit, you can order a kit from Crower, with the Cam Saver Lifters and 68404-16 springs(for 1.6 installed height apps). OR, you can buy some other Brand cam, and the Crower lifters and springs.
