The pistons from JE finally arrived on April 14. The projected lead time was 4 weeks, but the actual time ended up being more like 10 weeks. (Note to self: when ordering custom engine parts, budget for at least double the time quoted by the fabricator.)

The pictures above show a comparison of the stock piston/rod assembly when compared to the new, much stronger, JE piston/Carrillo rod assembly. As you can see, the latter looks MUCH stronger and very beefy. I no longer worry about developing 200 horses at 8,000 RPM. And the good thing is not much weight was added with the oversize and overbuilt new parts.

Lastly you will notice the new Crane valve springs that arrived April 14 as well. They look MUCH better than the PAECO dual valve springs that I returned recently. As per Randy Stocker, these little beauties don't require any extra machining for a proper fit; they are just a stiffer, higher lift spring that directly replaces the stock springs.