Reply to "1996 rebuilt Cleveland - never started?"

FWIW, if someone finds a decent block with only a few thousanths of taper in the bores, be aware that you can have such a block HONED more-or-less straight, then use forged pistons and moly-coated rings in 4.000 size. This works just fine because -A- forged pistons run best with up to 0.005" of clearance, and -B- most of the bore wear is in fact not 'wear' but is gas erosion up near the top of each bore. This area is above the area the rings run on so its not required to perfectly straighten that part of the bores. It will not work with cast pistons- including hypereutectic pistons- that only require 0.0015 clearaance. Up to 0.005" can be honed away doing this, as long as you'll accept a little rattling for the first minute or so of running, until combustion heat expands the forged pistons to fit the bores. This works with already bored blocks, too- just as a freshen-up to salvage them.
Reliability? I had 0.004" honed away (not all top-bore 'blemishes' disappeared doing it) in 1991 for a set of 4.000 forged TRW pistons, and today the engine still does not smoke, uses maybe a quart of oil on a 1000-mile run to & from Las Vegas, and is noisy only at start-up. I tell everyone its the radical cam (actually, a mild hydraulic flat-tappet).
I have a 6" long piece of cylinder wall laying on my desk as a paperweight from an 0.030"-over block that failed at 150 mph. The thinnest wall area on that chunk is 0.070" thick! Chevy engine builders get nervous when cylinder wall thicknesses fall below 0.200"- something virtually no 351C ever had. So maximize the cylinder wall thickness you have by only honing- 351-C blocks are getting scarce!