I got ya fleetmech. Cruising speed is realistic. That's one of the major criteria used when selecting a camshaft profile for a mild street V-8 for example. I'm sorry to hear about your parts unavailability problem. I kind of understand because there are no sheet metal parts ( fenders, running boards etc. ) available for my 1952 Dodge pickup. In fact, that's why I swapped a 302 Ford and a 9" rear into it. It's hard to get a 6 cyl Dodge flathead block. You can build a complete 1950s Ford or Chevy pickup from after market parts if you have a million bucks. Dodge......no way. That's a shame about the water pump design being prone to failure. Hard to get around that one. I wonder. Would an after market hot rod electric water pump do the job? They use them on high horsepower always revved out road racing engines all the time. It should be plumbable inline and use 12 v. You know an LDT or a Gold Comet might not run for very long at max rpm, but a 238 or 318 Detroit Diesel, 3406 Cat, or an 855 Cummins will run 2,100 rpm at 85% load almost forever. In the old days before 600 hp 1,800 ft-lb diesel truck engines and electronic fuel injection came about, truckers always kept their engines between 1,700 and 2,100 rpm. Just out of curiosity is your Diamond a 5 sp with a 2 sp rear or is it a twin stick transmission? Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful reply!