In my previous blog, I talked about the new SHP block from Dart. This got me to thinking about a small-block you could build from one of these blocks. Good forged-steel cranks and forged rods are now exceptionally affordable. For example, Scat sells a complete rotating assembly to bolt in a 4.00-inch steel crank, good rods, and a set of flat-top forged pistons complete with rings and bearings, balanced from Summit for less than $1,900.00. With a 4.125-inch bore and a 4-inch stroke, we're talking about a 427ci small-block that isn't that expensive. Add a good set of 23-degree heads from AFR, Brodix, Canfield, Dart, TFS, or your pick of all kinds of cylinder head porters and you've got a thumpin' small-block that has the potential to make upwards of 600 hp and be streetable on pump gas. Granted, this won't be cheap, since the assembled short-block would run upwards of $4,000. Then add roughly another $2,000 for heads and a roller cam and you're looking at around $7,500 for an oil-pan-to-intake-manifold engine. But frankly, that's decent money for a Gen I small-block that could make 600-plus horsepower. This is a wonderful time to be a car crafter.