[steve25]

I see a lot of specs of crap on the back side of those rod bearings that would have effected the local clearance, and the bearings look like they where wrongly assembled with oil on there back side.

The detail I am looking for in those rod cap and big end photos is the impression from the numbers and lettering on the back side of the bearings.

If that impression is not clearly readable in the cap or the big end, then the bearing was moving, which is not good!

The only reason to not go with a stroker other gas usage is your stock heads.
If you’d making more then enough torque you will only havd more , and if you don’t then also add a bigger Cam then your HP peak will be attained at a even lower rpm then before.

Stock iron heads used on a street type motor of 455 cid or larger are done to the point of sticking a fork in it by 5200 rpm.

[Verdoro 68]

Originally Posted by steve25

The detail I am looking for in those rod cap and big end photos is the impression from the numbers and lettering on the back side of the bearings.

If that impression is not clearly readable in the cap or the big end, then the bearing was moving, which is not good!

I think that was ok, I can see the impression on most of the big ends.

Originally Posted by steve25

The only reason to not go with a stroker other gas usage is your stock heads.
If you’d making more then enough torque you will only havd more , and if you don’t then also add a bigger Cam then your HP peak will be attained at a even lower rpm then before.

Stock iron heads used on a street type motor of 455 cid or larger are done to the point of sticking a fork in it by 5200 rpm.

Will the round port heads make use of the extra cubes and give me a little more rpm? Most of my driving is around town cruising. With the 3.55s and the TH400 I'm around 3-3500 on the freeway. However, if I'm going to build this thing from scratch again, it will see some occasional Wednesday night drag action. I've been avoiding the track (and the drive there) because of the oil leak.

[mgarblik]

Those pics are really great and show allot. IMO, you have so much damage and variable amounts of wear throughout, the safest approach would just be a complete overhaul and measurement of all the components. Just no way to determine the level of parts replacement necessary to make the engine 100% again. I can determine a couple of things from the pics. No way in IMO, that crankshaft can be used again without grinding and polishing correctly. You can polish that thing till the cows come home and all your going to get is a smoother, out of round and tapered crankshaft. So it needs attention. While it is being reconditioned, the serrations can be dealt with as well. The root cause of the majority of the damage was a dirty assembly from what I see. I also see evidence of cap grinding that was done with a "packed" grinding wheel. Meaning the wheel was not dressed properly to open the grain and it leaves a burnished finish rather than a cool, clean ground surface. I can see this on the main caps and rod caps. Possibly the cylinders can be saved with just honing for a 2618 alloy forged piston. They can run up to .006 clearance which gives you some room to work with. The cam and lifters look to be in about the best condition of what I see in the pics. Sorry for the bad news. At least you caught it before something came apart or overheated and seized. It can all be fixed. FWIW, I prefer the 2-piece BOP seal. Easier to install and I have never had one leak. Other people have had different results.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

FWIW, I prefer the 2-piece BOP seal. Easier to install and I have never had one leak.

Ditto