I have found a place that sells shims to lower my compresion as you may have read in my earlier post. My question is, If I put this shim in (0.40 thick) to bring my compresion to 8:5.1, what kind of boost can I run without tearing my bottom end up. I know your site say's that things start to give past the 300 mark, but does that mean I can boost up to 275- 280 without any problems? Here is my set up as it is now.

(Completly stock bottom end with 0.40 head gasket shim and factory MLS one lowering my compresion to 8:5.1)
HRC stage II
FMIC
S-AFC
MSD-DIS 2RC
440cc Injectors
Worked over head ported and pollished
Wallbro in tank pump
NGK's
2 1/5 turbo back Exhaust

Thanks for you help.
SEE YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!MWC





http://smkn95eclipsemwc.homestead.com/mainpage.html

This shim idea may work, and it may not. I recommend that you request proof first, as I have yet to see such a setup be dependable over the long run. Sealing combustion pressure, coolant, and oil simultaneously is a complex task, and adding additional potential paths for leakage or "push out" of the stock gasket and/or this shim could be tricky.

FWIW, none of the "big" outfits (HKS, Greddy, etc) offer such a setup: they instead offer thicker gaskets. This says something. Engineering and metallurgy also come into play, so proceed with a "show me it works first" attitude.

The real issue for higher than 300 HP is the connecting rods, which are the "fuse" that can blow if overloaded. The billet rods we offer, while pricier than forged rods, are also the only ones actually proven to withstand 600HP to date. You know the story: more expensive, but worth it. I like to add a variation about lower priced components: cheaper, and worth it! Ya gets what ya pay for: with well over five figures total invested in such a car, a couple hundred bucks more for such a critical component is good insurance.