[northwind]

Having spoken to the people who know what they're talking about, the JE high comp pistons get a really bad rap... Though it does seem that most that criticise the haven't actually tried them. The general concensus from the Socal guys is that Busa pistons are lighter and can give almost as much of a power boost with appropriately decked heads, and so they're preferable. Not quite so easy to fit up though, the JE ones from JHS are more or less drop-in while the Busa ones call for a piston hone and various playing about with either skimmed heads or thin gaskets for best results.

I'm still thinking about busa pistons when I finally get all the work I've done already tidied up and working right. More for the project than the results though.

Porting, polishing and gas-flowing are all pretty much the same thing- namely improving the way the air-fuel mix gets in, and the exhaust gases get out. You can probably add valve work to that mix.