Jerry,
Would you comment on a couple of aspects of such a rebuild:
1. Projected torque increase (not expecting specific ft-lbs, just general terms i.e., mild torque increase, significant, pull your house around the block ...)
2. Durability. If we're whittling metal off, how would this impact this engine's ability to stand up to the average (whatever THAT is ...) use we Stovebolter's make of our rebuilt engines in our driver trucks? Will our grandson's still be driving this engine 20 years from now? Does this increase fragility or can the good ole 216 block take it?
3. Your idea of who would be interested in this sort of a rebuild -- Somebody like Otto (hard driving all day every day around the the Atlanta beltway) or NAPCOMan (preserving the original but worn out engine to get the truck on and off the trailer as you collect AACA trophies) or someone inbetween (most of us ...keep the original engine but be able to cruise comfortable in modern traffic and not have to rebuild the engine again within our lifetimes)?
4. Projected costs. To me, if you're going to rebuild an engine -- especially a babbitted 216 --- parts is parts and you're going to pay for machining and part anyway. Your projected build seems to involve replacing unobtainium parts with more readily available, perhaps even "Off the shelf," parts ... parts may even be less costly your way? Machine shop bills would probably be a wash -- roughly similar either way?
All in all, I think we have a really cool tech tip here.
John
