Can i just ask some maybe stupid questions.... And there may be answered in the thread but i have missed them.
The pistons are the ordinal pistons and have had coatings added to the crown and skirt. I guess to help with extra heat and stress. Was there no need for forged pistons or with a different crown profile?
Forged low compression 9:1 CP pistons. Crown coating designed to keep the heat in the exhaust gas rather than soaking into pistons. Skirt coating to help reduce friction and heat into the piston.
Your using uprate gudgeon pins and forged con rods?
Forged con rods and gudgeon pins where supplied with the pistons to suit.
And you are using uprated bolts on the con rods?
ARP2000 conrod bolts
Also what other bolts are you going replace head bolts so on???
ESS recommend stock head bolts but I'm debating whether to go with a raceware or ARP head stud upgrade, since I'm weary that the threads in the block my pull out when torquing.
The crank bearings are they new coated items or reused??
New crank bearings that have been coated with cermalube. I bought this from camcoat in Warrington and applied the coating myself after thorough cleaning, slight surface etching, cleaning again, then spraying and finally baking in the oven for a hour. I used the same process to do my pistons and new big end bearings.
I have rebuilt an engine years a go on my pug 205 the bearings in that where just some sort of white metal??
Not sure on that one to be honest
Also crank cams are they staying the same?
Uprated Schrick cams 248/256 are being used. These are what ESS recommend. The crank is the original 3.0. It has no scouring and is within tolerance. ESS don't recommend replacing or upgrading the crank but you can if you like, but like you say they will be mega bucks.
I am guessing a forged crank is MEGA £££££ And with the vanos cams are a bit pointless??
Love what your doing and would love to be doing the same this time next year

Nice one
Sorry for all the questions.