i personally think that power level can be made with a stock bottom end with basic bolt ons, mls headgasket, headstuds and rod bolts just for reassuarance, depending on condition of motor
of course. i was in the same boat as you but i decided to push the limits of my stock bottom end. there's so many options nowadays such as running e85 or water/methnol injection, allowing you to run alot more timing and alot more boost therefore will make some serious power. you could also change internals to a later model like the evo 9 which is quite strong. i have a mate running evo 9 internals with methnol injection at 1.9 bar which has been going strong for the last year. i myself run 1.6-1.7 bar on a stock bottom end with basic bolt ons for about 1.5 years now and still going strong. both cars were tuned by burnzy and have never missed a beat. i do however believe that i am pushing the limit of my motor and dont know how long everything will stay intact but in my eyes 1.5 years is a decent effort. for piece of mind if you got funds a forged motor would be ideal, i however like to push the limits of things. im sure alot of other members wlll point you in the right direction with there personal experiences and you can make up your mind in the end after that.
Regards
