Take a minute and gather your thoughts. Absorb the good advice some here have given. From my perspective, you are not far from screwing it back together and meeting your goals. Personally, I would have NO PROBLEM buying that home-made piston fly-cutter and making room. I'd bet you'll only need .030 IN DEPTH but where you'd gain room is radially. The amount you'll affect balance is INSIGNIFICANT. And the amount compression would 'suffer' would be the same (INSIGNIFICANT!). A bunch of people that have given advice, do this stuff for a living and I don't think their advice is being considered or absorbed. You do nice work, you aren't as far off as you think meeting your goals with the parts you have. Some of the theories you hold tight to are holding you back. Get that thing back together and the next time you're beside that Camaro, he'll be watching your rear-end! Based on what I see the camshaft IS a .430 lobe. Don't be so quick to change parts, it is unnecessary. (But that cam might like a better spring, talk later)
Can't agree more. This thing could be doing wheelies by now with a few bucks invested and much less time spent than responding to this thread.
What happens if you buy new heads and the valves don't align with the reliefs? You waited 6 months and will be cutting the pistons anyway.
You mentioned being unfamiliar with it. Very easy. Cutter goes in place of the valve, piston is at tdc with the circumference taped off and you drop the cutter into the piston by a marked amount, usually takes a few seconds. Result is perfectly aligned valve clearance vs your cylinder head.
