I think this is another case of doing something "easy", only to wish later
you'd done it right. I used to help my dad work on his 37, and then 39 Chevys.
He would just hone the cylinders,replace the rings, check the bearings with
plastigage, and put it back together. He would also lap the valves himself.
Not because he could do it better, he was brought up during the depression,
and you didn't spend ANY money if you didn't absolutely have to. I recently
had the engine in my 78 IH Scout rebuilt by a very conservative (read good,
well respected) shop. It wasn't cheap. But my 30 year old daughter and her
husband borrow it frequently to go out in the AZ desert, and up into the
mountains. That engine will still be going when I'm 6 feet under. I've taken a
lot of short cuts working on engines, and I've either been bitten or done a
lot of needless worry. With the old engines we're talking about, I don't think
it's a good idea skipping the chance to have the engine block and head checked
for cracks, warped surfaces, etc. Again, it depends a lot on what you're going
to ask of the engine. And as one person mentioned, it's not a lot of fun
having oil and greasy dirt raining down into your face. (It gets my glasses
REALLY dirty, too).Bob K in PHX
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