longmi01 wrote on 08/07/08 at 10:19:22:Not sure, but I think KwakNut shaved his head down to increase comp. Not sure if he did any modification below there...
I actually had the barrel skimmed by 1mm, which coupled with a thinner head gasket took the compression to about 9.2:1.
This does produce more slack in the chain, but with the Verslagen mod, or something similar done yourself if you have access to welding gear and a pillar drill, that's not a problem. I also re-drilled the cam gear to relocate the camshaft dowel pin because the chain slack also changed cam timing - not by much, but I was being thorough.
Bending the chain guide doesn't actually achieve much - I'd already tried that.
Valve clearance is not a problem - there is loads with it being a low compression engine and a relatively low lift cam, so skimming the head isn't going to cause a problem in that respect.
I couldn't find an off the shelf replacement piston. However, I have come across a guy who had a high compresson domed piston made - unfortunately I've lost his contact details.
There are companies which will make you one-off pistons, just not cheap. He went pretty wild with his Savage, ended up with over 60hp.