i was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on building my 396 to about 425-450 hp. i wanted to inquire as to specs and combinations that will get me there without sacrificing street-ability.i believe the cam has a 398 lift. the car is an original 1970 ss, cowl inducted,4 speed car. i want to retain the cowl induction set-up and still use an aftermarket intake,headers and carb.the motor is burning about 3 quarts of oil every 500 miles. i wanted to do a medium rather than mild build-up.i have been advised by others to either build a 454 or re-build the 396 to stock specs because the car is all numbers matching.i am torn in my decision. anyone out there that has faced the same decision, i would love to hear from you

forgot to mention that the motor is 350 hp 396

Use the search funtion here in the Performance forum..you'll be overwelmed with info!

Going to do the exact same thing with the 396/350 motor in my '69 SS. Over next winter though.

Preliminary thoughts I am looking to use a 210 to 220 @0.050 hyd flat tappet cam with .500 ish lift on a 110 LSA. or a mild Hyd Roller... Won't make 425 HP maybe around 375, but it will have enough torque to make a fun street ride with the 3.31 gears I have. No racing for this car, just a few passes every now and then to help in tuning it.

Having a different cam than stock is minor because only you will know and 99% of the people who look at or listen to your car won't be able to tell. If you had to you could always swap in the oem spec cam I guess if you sold it and the buyer was hardcore original.

#'s matching motor? If so set aside. Leave it alone and build a 454. You can get plenty of HP out of a mild build up on a 454 and not worry about hurting the original motor.