I noticed the topic about the cracked heads, and I need to put my $.02 worth in here.
I and a few friends have had quite a few AMC v-8s, and have never had head craking trouble. In fact the only cracked heads I have seen came from late '70's 304 which had been severely and repetetively overheated. (The guy who had it was an idiot). I also know that they are repairable with powder welding, my machinist hit water on one of my '70 360 heads, and just welded it up, just like it never happened.