[Dave at Pelican Parts]

I agree with your machine shop. At least, for a street motor, I do.

The 2.0 heads are notoriously crack-prone. The mechanics I have talked to tell me that is a result of too much heat, not enough heat dissipation, and not enough metal.

If you make more power, you will make more heat. Higher compression makes more power, AND makes for higher pressures in the combustion chamber. More heat, more pressure, more stress. Think about it for a moment. It may not result in broken heads, but it sure as heck will result in more wear.

Depending on how hard you intend to use the motor, you can probably go up to 8.5:1 on premium-unleaded fuel. I would be concerned about track use (extended high-power high-RPM) at that point, though. I think I'd stop worrying if I had a 911 fan setup, but that is really serious $$$.

What I don't know about carbs is pretty much everything, but I have heard that the 40 Webers are a little small for a high-revving 2.0 (just fine for a street one). So I would think that Dell 36es would be too small, unless the numbers refer to different measurements.

--DD