Didn't read all the posts.
I upgraded my stock motor to a full limited, including a pipe and head, which I then stuck a piston. A leak down test after failure showed a leaking base gasket. This was either due to age of the fact that I put the girlded kit on without changing the gasket.
In either of the above cases, a simple leak down test would have found this issue.
Also, after the piston failure, the motor was rebuilt, and the crank was found to have a weak bearing. So the crank was replaced preventatively.
The moral of the story here is that the pipe and head did not cause my motor to fail. The failing motor could not hold up to extra horsepower and 1000 more rpm. The motor was 10 years old, and was over due for inspection and maintenance.
Lastly, the mechanic Not to be named i mistakenly trusted to rebuild my motor was certified but not qualified. He tuned it too lean, and with too much compression.
The extra money is spent to bring it to harry of bad boys racing is some of the best money I have spent in the sport. A quality assembly and tuning is like none-other. I wish I would have started with harry, and have gone back with repeated positive results each time.