The block I am using is a 91 block. it is not prepped for a roller setup.
Wild Guess: Drill and tap three small holes. Get all the roller-cam equipment from Craigslist or a Treasure Yard. Done.
Alternatively, buy a roller-cam short block. Now you've got all the equipment, AND a block that's already set-up for the roller cam. You'll probably have to disassemble each lifter to clean out all the accumulated sludge. Do them one-at-a-time, so you don't interchange parts from one to another.
i dropped it off at the machine shop and the guy told me that if i used a flat tappet cam I would need special oil for the life of the engine. I had always thought that if i used the proper assembly lube and did the break in correctly, that I could drive with normal oil after that. He highly recommended that I go roller so as to avoid the oil issue. Is he correct in that thought?
Zddp is mostly needed for cam break in, but you can always use the High Mileage oil of the brand you like as they have slightly more of the additive.
Flat tappet cams got a bad reputation twenty-something years ago, and oil got the blame. Truth is, cam companies were sourcing junk lifters and cam cores from China, and the metal was soft. Blaming the oil meant the cam companies didn't have to admit--and warranty--their defective junk.
ZDDP is a high-pressure, anti-wear additive. However, it's usefulness has been greatly exaggerated by the cam companies and the "hot-roddy" magazines. Too much actually CAUSES failure of metal parts. The amount of wear protection of a motor oil is NOT based on the amount of ZDDP it has.
https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/motor-oil-wear-test-ranking/
Don't get me wrong--when it was me, I scrapped the flat-tappet cam and shoved in a roller. A person is crazy not to use a roller cam when it's so easy to use OEM cams, lifters, retainers, etc. Might not be so true if you were building a 455 Buick, or a 392 International.