Neal, the angle valve IO360 is quite a bit different form the parallel valve engine. The reason it has angled valves is because it is a hemi-head engine of sorts. The parallel egine is not. The angle valve engine is also about 40 plus lbs heavier. My engine--stock is 180 horses--but due to old fashion hot rodding it dynos at 205 horses at 2700 RPM.
Your friends RV8 kit was pre--Prepunch era. The new CNC computer prepunch and quickbuild kits go together much faster. In any case--what do you (generic you) do with your time after work? I could watch fooseball, hang out at the pub and become a drunk or build an airplane. Whether it is 2 years or 8 years, the time will pass, difference is that at the end of that time I will have an airplane, the couch potato will have nothing but an old TV and a big gutt. Anything worth doing is worth taking the time to do it right and airplanes are the only really worthwhile pursuit in life. J