Building a small block
Ronzoni,
It used to be that Cleveland heads were the way to go on a small block. With some of the aftermarket Windsor heads they have nowadays, that isn't the case anymore. Most of the better aftermarket Windsor heads will outflow a set of 4V Cleveland heads. Hard to believe with those huge 4V ports, I know, but its true! Those Cleveland exhaust ports are really a mess. Extremely poor flow characteristics. The bend in the stock Cleveland exhaust port is just too sharp.
Another savings if you run aftermarket Windsor heads is the weight savings. You save almost 80lbs by going to the aluminum heads over Cleveland heads. An added benefit of the aluminum heads is the heat transfer is better. Better cooling is good!
If you really want to run canted valves, look into the TFS 'Twisted Wedge' heads. I had put a set on a 351W and they worked wonders! You'll still run into the limited piston availability issue though. There are some out there made to fit the TW heads, but not many.
Hard to believe that this information is coming from a dyed-in-the-wool Cleveland fanatic, huh? I live and breathe Clevelands, but I have come to realize their shortcomings. Hey, Ford only made Clevelands (including the 351M/400) for ten years (1970-79). The Windsors came out seven years previous, and have been made for more than twenty years after the Cleveland was killed off. Hmmm. Does that tell you anything?