Gary, I remember EXACTLY the same things you speak of. Mondello Heads? Are you a SoCal transplant or did you ship them? He was in L.A. when I was a kid. Valley Head Service kinda "pushed him out" of the "top spot" in the area at the time. Then came KBE and the new world "began".
Chester, a friend of mine, builds a 290 CID small block for C/E cars that he says "If you launch under 9,000, shut it down, it won't recover. If you're up there, hang on, 'cuz you're goin' for a ride!" It peaks at 11,500. WOO-HOO! More than 3 HP per CID on gasoline! I'm impressed... (:-
I learned at a very young age, no matter how much one "loves" a certain car or brand, NEVER underestimate your opponent. That's particularly true with smaller displacement small block Chevys. Just when you think you've got 'em covered with superior torque and cubes, one will jump up and bite you right on the behind! Didn't happen much on the street, but the track was a different story. Good engines, 327s.