Reply to "Does Anyone Have the Wydendorf Lifter Bushing Tools They Would Consider Renting?"

I'm not arguing on this but every engine I have worked on is off in a number of areas.

I doubt that the lifter bores being off centered by 30 or 40 thousands will have any effect at all.

These blocks are production items. The Australian or if you prefer the "NASCAR" blocks are no better at all. In fact every NASCAR block I've seen got sonic tested first and the cylinder wall thicknesses are all over the place.

As I understand it, that number should be a minimum of .100" and some of the blocks are showing .080" there.

Generally they show below minimum recommended wall thickness for performance applications across the thrust face. Core shift on them is terrible.

Hard to tell though and probably someone like the Bud Moore shop would know more about that but those blocks are kind of ancient since they were used in NASCAR in the early '70s?

The 427 side oiler blocks are the same way as well.

Don't know if the 429 Shotguns show the same but I would suspect that "in the day" you had to order three blocks and keep the best one.

That would make sense since when you find a NOS block, 95% chance they will test terrible, and THAT IS WHY they are still new and never got used.

When I went to put big valves in my 302, the biggest that would fit in the chambers were 1.94/1.60.

On both heads there was at least one valve guide that was off center by around .030 to .040 and as a result the 2.02 intakes would hit the exhaust valves in those cylinders.

Ask any engine builder. This is to be expected.

I have no experience with the aftermarket blocks like the Pond 427's but I wouldn't be shocked if it was the same story with them.

I know a lot of builders like to shave the main caps and line bore them again just to be sure. Things like that should indicate bad experiences those builders had in the past with other blocks?