stuck contemplating, input and suggestions requested/appreciated

[rurouni20xx]

heres the rundown: i hav a 92 ranger 2wd 2.3 m50d supercab that im slowly rebuilding, chassis/brakes and driveline are approx 60 percent complete, looking into building a longblock and dropping in her. going to rebuild for more power without boosting (nothing against it but this is my dd and downtime for tuning needs to be kept to a minimum, no dyno available.) been looking into this for a while and have several questions concerning different rotating assembly combinations compression ratios and cylinder heads. they are as follows:
1: stock crank/rod length or stroke it?
2: if stroker is used milled 2.3 crank w/ chevy 5.7 inch rods or 2.5 crank and rods?
3: what brand pistons/rods would you recommend? looking at wiseco pistons and crower rods, never heard of keith black what are your thoughts?
4: seems all i can find are dish 8:1 and 9:1 compression ratio pistons, are higher cr available? looking to build 11:1 if possible...
5: on stock cylinder head are there larger face valves available and where? (would look up valves per the dimensions but i dont have a 2.3 head torn down so i can measure everything.)
6: stock head decent street/strip cam what are general specs for one? want to look at potential options/recommedations...
7: adjustable cam gears: reading on some models (racer walsh) that they will not work on a ranger engine, why not?
8: underdrive pulleys/lighter flywheel for street use good idea or not?
9: b234 volvo head, have not found one modified and dont want to go thru the headache of modifying one myself but havent ruled it out, how would you convert the 8 plug ignition setup to a 4 plug setup if one is used?

thank you for any and all input/constructive criticism.

 

[SMTGREG]

This build depends on the CUBIC DOLLARS that are available and if it is a true Daily Driver. The long rod option would be a extra expense that would show very little gain. Being a DD The compression ratio needs to be around 10.0 so pump gas can be used.Go for Cubic Inches First Bore .030 with 2.5 crank and pistons. Use flat top pistons then mill the head for higher comp ratio. Call the cam builders they will recommend the best cam for your application. I use Lunati Cams. Use an adjustable cam gear any time the head or block have been shaved. Advancing cam timing can give a little better low end power. I noticed very little gain with a power pulley and slightly warmer idling temps.
This is what I would do: .030 over 2.5 Mill block for zero deck clearance. New stainless valves and Bronze valve guides, Mild cam and adjustable pulley, Mill head .030. Header style exhaust manifold, free flowing exhaust system. 4.10 rear axle ratio.

 

[rurouni20xx]

thats the kind of input im looking for, reason i was looking for 11:1 is ive used premium fuel in 11 and 12.5:1 engines with no problems powersports wise, 11:1 is safer than 12.5 obviously. 10:1 however is a nice number and can use midgrade fuel too if the tune is right. speaking of tuning on obd1 trk what are your recommendations, saving the megasquirt package for my 3.0 trk, looking for something simpler for this truck. i noticed the long rod crank turndown option and was told it helped with acceleration slightly, but the thought of smaller crank journals brings up a reliability issue in my eyes. this truck will be a street/strip daily driver package. im saving the money for everything building it once and dropping it in. was looking at headers any recommendations? cams ive seen lunati cams on summit but they are flat tappet cams i have a hyd roller head on my 92 and want to keep that style head on the new engine. crower offers cams for the hyd roller head any experience with them/comments? just rebuilt my rear end w/ 3.73 gears and want to keep that ratio for hwy driving, but i am going to get my 245/60r14s installed on some cragars, already have some beatup 215/75r14s and she pulls pretty good even with a worn out stock motor. noticed there are oversized valves available on racerwalsh.coms heads ill look into those w/ your recommendations on the valve guides.