I had the same moment of enlightenment when my then-girlfriend-now-wife showed me the taillights of her '94 Z-28 not long after I had gotten my CR. At the time, it was running an '85 spec 302 (complete with LTD exhaust manifolds feeding a 1-1/4" pipe that led to a monstrous catalytic converter, making the car
quieter than her Z!).
Not long after that episode, I got a set of headers from Don Beroth (Bethania garage), and some GT-40 heads. That helped restore the proper order between her car and my CR, but had opened Pandora's box in the search for more. Next were the performer RPM manifold and B-303 cam. Unfortunately, the '85 block with dished pistons didn't build enough compression to make the kind of power I was expecting.
At around the time I was getting the "more power" itch again, my friend Rob spun a bearing in the 351C powering his Pantera, and decided to replace it with a Windsor. (The whole story, with great details about the motor, can be found here:
http://www.akvo.com/robm/pantera ).
That build-up went so well that I decided to do the same, practically bolt-for-bolt. The project was not without its issues, but in general went very well - if you're the least bit inclined, I'd recommend building your next motor yourself. I've heard nothing but good about Southern Automotive, and Don Scott's knowledge and willingness to share it give me absolute confidence in his work. That being said, there's a huge comfort/confidence factor I now have with my car, and my ability to keep it running well and fix whatever comes up.
Just another data point - good luck in your quest!
JLW
PS - here's the thread I started the day my new motor came to life:
http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/show...&threadid=3464 . When I read about other folks' 500+ hp motors, I sometimes get the itch to get the heads ported, or swap cams, or even stroke it, but when I drive it, thoughts turn towards adequate brakes and tires - I haven't hit the limiter on it now that I'm past the break-in period, mainly due to my self-preservation instincts. Now that DV has made me feel a little better about the roll bar, maybe I'll find a strip and see what it can do.
PPS - Don't leave us hanging! What's your current motor config, and how did you do in the 1320 (both time/trap, and what it was like!)?