I've had terrible luck with those 1-pc pan gaskets. They're only good for an initial build-up. If the silicon gasket gets any oil on it at all, it'll never stay on the pan and will slip out. I've had horrible oil leaks using those and ended up going back to the traditional oil pan gaskets.
Speedway has 3 different mounting options for this motor. The mount I want to use bolts and welds to the frame rails and would allow removal of the oil pan if necessary. I've found that to be handy from time to time in my Corvette, where the crossmember is in front of the motor.
I think I've found the cam I want to use too. It's a Crane cam with a 218/218 @ 0.050 duration that makes fantastic midrange torque. I chose this cam because of the steep 4.56 gears in this truck, with highway cruising in mind. It'll still be buzzy at a 4000 rpm cruise until I get the 3.70 geared Dana 60 in it, but it'll help.
To allow better low end towing torque, I plan on using Rhoads lifters, which add 10 to 15 degrees duration to the low end, extending the torque band. With 9:1 compression, this cam should produce about 370 lb-ft at 4000 rpm (right at my cruising speed) and 330 hp at 5000, with valve float at around 5600. The cam part number, in case anyone's interested, is #10017.
I'll adapt a pair of Doug Thorley Tri-Y headers, even if I have to re-weld a primary tube or two for clearance. Then I'll have a 2.5 inch mandrel exhaust with an X-pipe crossover, dual super-turbo mufflers and slash cut tips exiting in front of the rear tires.
I'm going to use the M420 transmission, but I'll probably freshen it up.
