67satty Seeing, reading & actually responding to a bunch of your post,
I think we've covered this a few times already too...
A wise ol'man that was schooled in such things, once told me
"3 major things you need to know about making real power",
grasshopper...LOL
Paraphrasing of course;
#1 it's the Cylinder-heads, #2 cylinder-heads, #3 cylinder-heads dummie...LOL
maybe;
Get ahold of IQ52 his screen name, he may even have a set ready to go...
Jim LaRoy is professional head porter engine builder, he's out of Challis Idaho
he also has done some great stuff with iron heads/906's,
IF that the route you want,
IMO he'd probably recommend going to a lighter, bigger valve-d, better port,
smaller chamber, much better flow OOTB {out of the box} to begin with,
before porting, starting with a better aluminum head thou...
BUT;
He can do wonders with an iron set too, 740hp IIRC in a Dyno Contest,
limited budget & resources etc.,but you'd probably will be limited for sure,
JUST remember labor cost isn't cheap, less time with a peanut grinder
equals less $$$ spent & more for the results...
I've seen 906's ported out to 320+cfm, @ about 2hp/per-cfm = 640hp
that's only If they're done right & you have a really good bottom end, to make it work...
Also usually with thin walls &/or a bunch of epoxy, limited on push-rod size etc.
A good example is the highly popular
Cost wise bang for you buck Eddy RPM's are not bad,
can run 3/8 push-rods & 1.6:1 rocker no problem, with little to no fitment problems
need custom length push rods, check the length @ a min,
special head bolts & washers @ a min & some good head gaskets {Commetic or FelPro etc.}
they come in 75cc, 84cc or 88cc combustion chambers
2.14 in & 1.81 ex valves, can put even larger vales if necessary & gain even more flow
they flow great OOTB 291cfm intake & 217cfm exhaust @ 0.600 lift,
even much better if professionally ported,
something like 70#'s lighter & have good "all American made" parts...
I use them on my street/strip car, {I had Stealth's too, long story}
I've gone 8.58 @ 156 with a set too, on my ol' silver 3520# 68 RR,
albeit fully ported larger valve version, done by a guy Mark Rowe {RIP}
I have a set of mildly ported RPM versions on my current
68 RR 6bbl street/strip cruiser too...
what can I say, if it works I stick with it, loyal as a good dog...
don't take me out of context or wrong;
There're better race heads, out there too, there's bigger port heads too,
Max Wedge Ports, there's raise ports, a total gamete of choices now etc. etc. etc.
IMO it depends really on your specific budget, what you actually need & want,
how much your willing to spend & how fast you want to really go...
I've used all kinds & brands, depending on what build...
Weight savings alone between iron & aluminum is worth 0.07 et,
not to say the performance gains of a better designed head ports,
even out of the box, compared to most ported 906's
let alone the weight transfer from getting the 70#'s weight off the nose of the car...
It costs about $700-$900 more to start with, for a decent/good alum. head
over a used set of iron ported heads
than the Stealth's a little more to make them work as well but ,
I won't really go into all the details, they can be made to work well too,
don't confuse what I'm saying, but they don't flow as well as some think OOTB,
I've seen flow #'s all over the map from 230cfm -250cfm intake @ 0.600 lift
{compared to 291cfm @ 0.0600 gross lift RPM's}
that's a few hundred $$$ in porting right there, anyway I'm not going off on a tangent,
but they don't compare OOTB to the RPM's thou,
but it's money well spent in the right place...
I'm not saying you need to buy the RPM's
I'm saying they are just a good bang for the buck, somewhat budget build choice...
About $1000 less than some comparable or slightly better heads,
I'd personally rather spend that on professional port work, instead...
Or by Victors but that requires more $$$, work & specialty parts,
it's probably overkill for your street/strip combo too...
It's a choice only you can make, but I've been down both paths &
I can tell you I'd go with a quality alum. head any-day now,
it's just a better way, easier way, lighter way & yes more expensive way,
add some specific porting for what you need & want, or buy them CNC ported OOTB
not spend a bunch of $$$ on 40+ year old iron heads &
only to wish a few month later, that you would have just spent the money right in the 1st place...
yes there're some good ones {ported iron heads} out there too...
They usually won't be only $500 thou, if they are ?
there's usually a good reason why they're cheap, BUT you may get lucky too...LOL
Nothing wrong with a well ported set of Iron heads, don't get me wrong,
I'd just go & spend a little more now even if it's twice the cost &
not spend it twice only in another few months, regretting &/or wishing, kicking yourself...
I would have gone with a better design/lighter head to begin with...
I see it all the time, even guys stepping up to alum.,
wish they went the extra mile/cost & got a better head...
I know $$$ & initial costs of building a combo, can be a really big factor,
BUT you need to spend it wisely thou, cylinder heads aren't the place to cut corners,
IF you want to make more HP...
I'm certainly not rich either,
I want the best bang for the buck as much as I can...
Chose wisely grasshopper...LOL
Good luck either way...