Uhm. No. I didn't say that (and no else did either as far as I can see). The L72 is a rectangular port, 11:1 forged piston, 4-bolt main, steel crank, 3/8-inch rod bolt, mechanical cam, high rise aluminum intake, Holley carburetor engine combination. It saw service from 1966 to 1969 inclusive. It was far from plain jane. It was the workhorse high performance big block of the era. And from most accounts (and personal experiences of mine and countless other old "farts" like me [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img] here), it did pretty good for itself on both the street and the track....and still does in plenty of cases. In other words, you're pretty much dealing with the backbone (or dare I say, the "Holy Grail"
of Chevy high performance in the sixties.
There are too many components and variables to get into to provide you with a handful of points to look for. With that said, you really need to know what exactly the L72 was, what a SS396 was all about, what Yenko accomplished and take it from there. To understand these cars, you have to gather as much printed data as possible, then ask about the little details. Start looking for books my friend. There's plenty out there (some good....some not so good).
I hope that helps.
Wayne