[whittp]

It is a 68 400 block with an eagle rotating assembly. Cubic inches are 461 with this set up. The crank is also going to have to be replaced due to the thrust bearing and I figured I'd go with the eagle forged crank. Connecting rods and pistons are all in good shape.

This thing is a mess inside and I'd sure like to not repeat this again. Hoping the TKX will solve the issue on the crank getting pushed around (and be a lot more fun to drive). Now I'm worrying about the reliability of the top end as well. What can the shop do to ensure it'll be good the next go round? They did mention that most of the prior build was done well but a few corners were cut. Rings not exactly right, bottom end not balanced, #3 was burning a little oil and it's probably the valve seal.

[Formulajones]

Sometimes builds go that way with some shops. I've had fairly fresh builds in here that were running okay, but when I tore them down and took them to Paul for a going over, all kinds of things were found to be "subpar" even for a mild street build. It was a matter of time before things went south, and just lucky very few miles were put on.

Hate to hear it and very unfortunate for you, but maybe the shop you're at now will do a thorough job and straighten things out.