[tucsonjwt]

If you are at all concerned with gas mileage, then forget the 396, especially one that has been hopped up. If you don't care about gas mileage, I would rather have a stock 454 out of a truck. I have had two and have run them for decades with no engine work, except for replacing the notorious "soft cam" and resulting busted pushrods on the 73 I had. In a 1/2 ton pickup a stock truck 454 engine won't use much more gas than a 350, and it has way more power and acceleration.