How much of that cost was labor? It sounds like somebody really bent you over a barrel on that job. For that kind of money, I'd expect to get a rebore, new pistons, reground crankshaft, new cam & lifters, and a fully-reworked cylinder head out of the deal!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!