[RocktimusPryme]

I really think you could be making a mountain out of a molehill here. These threads tend to get out of hand, and Im not even saying any of it is bad advice, but I just think you should slow down and try a couple of baby steps.

Before you blow half of your fresh engine apart, I think you should just check and make sure more timing advance doesn't wake the car up some. You can get a cheap timing light for next to nothing. I know you've said you arent an expert, but I promise this is something you can do yourself. Heck you could facetime me or another member and I will walk you through it.

Alternatively I also think simply going to a chassis dyno for a tuning session is a very good idea. For one it will give you some tangible evidence of if it actually is underperforming. And those guys will easily be able to do some of the simple adjustments like timing, and seeing if your throttle is opening all the way.