[jims69camaro]

let a shop install your cam bearings and balance the rods/reciprocating assembly. you can do the work yourself, but without experience you can turn a good motor into an expensive paperweight.

start by reading - it's always good to know what you are getting yourself into before you are in up to your neck. i'd suggest any number of books under the S.A. Design umbrella. specifically, How to Rebuild the Small-Block Chevrolet with Larry Atherton and Larry Schreib, the How to Build Horsepower series of books by David Vizard, the step-by-step guide to Engine Blueprinting by Rick Voegelin, How to Build Max Performance Chevy Small Blocks on a Budget by David Vizard (which is also the How to build Horsepower, vol. 3), and How to Build High Performance LS1/LS6 V-8s.

even if you have built motors before, these books are priceless reference manuals for the "little things" we sometimes overlook that can lead to higher performance.

good luck with your project.