This article from 1978 Hot Rod Magazine shows what the heart of auto racing once was; gents with innate automotive talent would take what they had to new levels not with millions of dollars factory support and computers, but what left overs factory racing had and the will to make it work.
https://www.motortrend.com/features/dynos-duo-don-nicholson-ford-pro-stock-race-cars-november-1978-982-1374-36-1/
The foundation of this engine is one of the rare Can Am 494 Ford aluminium blocks, which features steel liners for the 4.530-inch cylinder bores. Relatively little has been done to the basic block, although Dyno has sleeved the lifter bores and drilled special oil passages to provide lifter oiling, which the Can Am block did not have originally. The lifter sleeves extend downward in close proximity to the camshaft lobes to provide additional lateral support for the roller tappets. A modified Lincoln 460 crankshaft, aluminium rods, special pistons and hand-fabricated oil pan, windage screen, scrapers and trays make up the rest of the lower end.
Although a lot of hand fabrication was required, one of the most interesting aspects of this engine is the adaptation of a pair of rare aluminium 429SCJ heads to the Can Am block. This block was originally intended for use with Boss 429 Shotgun hemi heads, which used Cooper sealing rings and silastic instead of conventional head gaskets. Dyno had to reroute oil supply and drainback passages to use the 429SCJ heads, and Fel-Pro Perma-Torque head gaskets are now used too. Head sealing hasn't been a problem, partly because the Can Am block uses massive 9/16-inch head bolts torqued to 150 Ib.-ft.
