Jeep Strokers

Hi guys,got a 96 sport,that ive been havin some fun with in the local gymkanas.Its pretty mild,with just a good set of headers,2.5 inch system,63 mm tb,and spacer,but goes well enough to be competitve in the standard class.Im really wanting to extract some more power,but dont have the cash to stroke it. Ive got a late model intake and injectors to go on,but want to give it some compression at the same time.Will it be ok just to deck the head 40 thou? I believe this will raise it to around 9.6 to 1. Im ok with running premium gas at 98 octane.Does this sound ok,or am i missinformed about my final compression ratio,could i go even further with the head or would that be on the limit for pump gas.Its still got to be reliable,and not ping and not run too hot. Any input would be great...
Thanks