New or old, the inline isn't the SBC. If you are a commoner with no access to a machine shop you have to learn to take what you can get.
Fact is that so far I have seen very little quality for the money in this area of engines. The offy intakes are extremely over priced and are not made that well anyway. If you have ever tried to polish one you will know what I mean. You can't tell me that a chunk of aluminum that is half the size/weight of their normal V8 intakes can cost more to produce and result in a equal if not higher price than the V8 intakes.
I've also been discouraged by the lack of finishing work that goes into many still available products. For instance, both Offy and langdon do not polish between the fins of their valve covers/side covers, etc. I belive that the only reason Langdon doesn't polish between them is because offy doesn't. I think he would if they would. It's a small detail, but if they aren't polished your only option is to paint between them or let the dirt and grime collect in the porous surfaces and look like hell.
They've all got us against the wall. They all know it. There is little to no competition. We're a small market of fish in a barrel. We have also been groomed to the idea that I6 parts are expected to be expensive and that give a further advantage. If everybody wants cheap/better custom parts so bad, stop spending money with these companies and start spending it on machining equipment so you can do it better for cheaper yourself.
