I say forget the (now) dime-a-dozen 445, the strokers, etc. and build you a real 427 if that's what you want. I'm not against strokers, but there is certainly nothing wrong with keeping a 427 a real 427. Getting to 450hp should be easy with a decent set of heads and a matched cam and intake. Mine makes 499hp with a factory crank, unported MR heads and stock intake and carbs. But it's a little on the ragged edge for street use, just the way I wanted
I would be more tempted to use a set of BBM heads and paint them blue to keep it really stock looking. The Eds are easily noticeable and that kinda ruins the "mystique" to me, but that's just me. Finding a good block will be the hard part unless you go aftermarket. Either way isn't cheap, but nothing worth having is.
