Some questions for the veteran Ford folks...

Hi friends!
I am working on a 63 1/2 Comet, building a 302 to use as a daily driver with very occasional full throttle passes at the test 'n tune night.  I have an AOD, and probably will stay with the 8" rear with a trac-loc added, 3.50:1 or so.
Questions:
1.  I have a set of Powerheads ported 289 iron heads, 54cc chambers, 1.94/1.60 valves, single .530 max lift springs. Paperwork shows characteristics about 1/2 to 2/3 between stock and aftermarket average.  How can I use the piston dish to keep compression at or below 9.5:1, using a .041 head gasket?

2.  For my intended use, thoughts on usefulness vs cost with:
         roller cam upgrade kit , forged vs hypereutectic pistons, stock vs   forged rods and crank, other HD internals.

3.  I have torque converter that came with the AOD when I bought it, no idea what the stall point is, any way to find out? (both are new / rebuilt)

4.  I would like to take advantage of the heads' extra flow - what intake do you recommend?

5.  I have an early 80's aluminum 4-bbl intake, should I bother to try gasket-matching it?  It has pretty small runners...

When you guys finish with these, I'll probably have more... I'm a recently converted Ford guy, used to do GM, but last engine build was 1976, so... changes happen.
Thank you for any and all help and advice you can give me!!!
Mike

Feel Free to email me at olesneaker@aol.com.

oh, yeah - I'm a 60 year old teacher so money is also an issue - ain't it always?  

1. Using flat top pistons you will have a smidgeon over 10:1 and you only need 4 cc to get you down to 9.5:1. (assuming not stroked and bore is 4.030) Now a lot of Ford heads are not really what they advertise so I suggest if your worried about the compression ratio then cc the heads and take out some to get you to the 4cc(amount to take out) level on all the cylinders. Remember your valve reliefs will take out some also so take that into account. Your gasket uses about 8.5 cc's and you can find thicker gaskets(I took that into account in the 10:1 math.
2. If you intend on using a power adder like nitrous then definitely go with forged pistons. If your going above the 400hp mark forge the rest(rods/crank). Hypereutectics are more thermally stable then standard cast pistons and offer better oiling/wear characteristics but they do not stand up to power adders any better then cast.  A roller cam is definitely the HP way to go but its expensive. If you just want a good street engine with 330 hp or so then stay with a flat tappet grind.
3. Well no easy way to find out. Use a known convertor.
4. When you use bigger valves you should definitely step up the runner cross section, and use headers to see the full advantage. Performers(edelbrock) are good
starting points. If you intend on seeing higher rpm I like the torker single plane manifold.
5. Gasket matching definitely has advantages, increasing the flow always helps.

Just my opinions, engines whether Chevy or Ford all respond pretty much the same to the same tricks.  

1 - make sure they really are 54cc.  It would be better for the engine if they were 60cc though.  If you do go with a dish piston, make sure you do a mock-up and cut the decks so the pistons are at zero deck.  That gives max quench for detonation control.

2 - roller is OK, costly.  Depends on what you want out of the engine - with the few specs given, a flat tapped hydro will more than take care of it.  I use forged pistons on everything, period.  Hypers are fine, but under stress will shatter like glass.  Cast cranks will handle plenty of power in a 302, you'll bust the block before you hurt the crank.  Stock rods are forged.  Depends on you HP level, abuse expected and RPM to give a rod recommendation - that said, aftermarket rods for a 302 will be a better rod and not cost very much more than having stock rods reworked so just include something like a Eagle I-Beam in the budget.

3 - If it's stock, throw it away and get a decent performance converter.  If it's supposed to be a performance converter, then take it to a pro trans shop that does performance work and have it cut open.  Or return it to the mfg for review, if the mfg is known.

4 - Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap

5 - No.  If it's a Ford intake, it's good for a stocker or in a bag of beer cans going to the recycler.  
1967 Falcon 4 door 351C-4V
1970 Mustang 351C-2V
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
Owner built, owner abused.

Thank you, gentlemen!  Good advice, I appreciate your time and thoughts.  The motor probably won't see more than 5500-5800, and no nitrous - just a driver with a punch.
300-330 horses will suit me fine.  I'm considering a Thumpr cam because I miss the sound of the old days - and I'm aiming for low to midrange power.  I screwed up on my last Chevy 350 and used a Sig Erson with way too much high end power and nothing down low - I WON'T MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN!
I'm going to do some re-thinking and see where I need to go.  What do you think of the Thumpr cam?
By the way, Falcon67 - I've been using your website since i started this project!
Thanks again!  

One of the things I have used in the past that I was very happy with was a set of Rhoads lifters. I will spare the description of how they work but they can save your idle and off idle response even with a big cam. They are pricey but worth it.