Calling all Oldsmobile guys

[PARKERRS]

I've got a cousin who inherited a '69 olds 442 from his dad. He is 30 and his dad bought the car new, I'm 43 and remember all of the cars history. It came with the 400 and 4 speed, the man just drove it everyday and only hired the repairs neccessary to keep it going ( he isn't a car guy, just liked the car that good). In '81 he took the car to the local votech and let the class rebuild the engine, some student didn't check all the rod bolts when torqueing them and on the way home from picking it up a rod went through the block. So much for the correct engine, they removed all of the fresh parts and heads and put them on a 455 short block and that is what it's been running since. About a week ago it started to knock so his son who is trying to learn and be a car guy has pulled the engine and is ready to build it. I'm a chevy person and that is what I know about as far as casting numbers and how to extract power, but an Oldsmobile engine is an entirely different animal like a Pontiac engine is a world of it's own also. I'm looking for suggestions for a good strong streetable combo. The casting numbers on the block show it to be a 67-72 455, he hasn't gotten me the head casting numbers yet, but they are the factory heads off the original 400 for the 442. He has an Edelbrock performer intake for it also. I need to know suggestions on what to look for head casting wise as well as piston suggestions (it has dish tops in it, and I was thinking a set of TRW forged flat tops are always the good choice for a stout driver chevy small block) also any insight into cam and any suggestions on a better valvetrain. Like I said I'm used to small block Chevy and have done one or two Pontiacs so I know this is a different animal that I have no knowledge base with, I'm trying to help him out and teach him a little so any assistance is appreciated. Upon teardown the knock turned out to be a broken pushrod and explodedlifter which wiped the cam lobe, after all of that loose in there and the car has been running this engine for 26 years it's time to build it and make it right.

Tommy