So to answer a few of the questions.
Sure I would love to make a 289, but the only rods I can find are H rods, which are considerably more. I also got a favour done in the workshops a long time ago to push the rods onto the pistons and that connection has now retired.
A 302 internal balanced crank is double the price of a cast one. If I was staring all over again, these are all things I would consider. However, after this amount of time on the build I just want to get the car going tested and driving; all of the options above are things I am logging for what to do as yes, I do want to replace this one with a higher spec build in the future.
I'll give Frank a call as he has said in the other thread, but failing that I've discovered it's cheaper to buy a crank from Summit's ebay shop due to the International Shipping programme than it is buying direct. Appears to save nearly $100++ in shipping and taxes.
Brett