Hi Eric,
I'd suggest before you do anything you get a shop manual and read it carefully. Think about what it says and the tolerances the shop manual suggests and then decide how you want the work done and what you'll be happy with in the end. If you just want somebody to rebuild it and make it ok for another 15 or 20,000 miles, that's one thing. If on the other hand you want to get close to having a relatively new engine, that is entirely another thing. Just make certain everyone is on the same page from the start and I think you'll be fine. The days of finding a man around here who is going to build your engine just the right way and take the time to do it as he would if he were putting it in his daughter's car are gone. Those guys started vanishing in the 80s. Tinker is as close as I've found to that breed around here. After 50+ years of dealing with rebuilders and machine shops here I can give you horror stories, but it would probably just be boring. The remaining rebuilders here are either putting together engines for unprofessional people racing them, mechanics who don't have the experience nor equipment or restorers...and each one of those groups have completely different desires. The so-called racers don't care about fuel economy, oil consumption or a long life. They want something that is going to scream for a while and they don't have unlimited $. The mechanics have a time crunch and they need something that will be predictable, affordable and won't require too much care to break it in. The restorers are a breed all their own...
Jon
