More gooder, Higher quality
What if SOME of the part is higher quality, and other facets of that part are lower quality?
If you want EVERYTHING better, you're not buying a "budget" part, and exceedingly little will come from China/Asia.
You might--or might not--get better steel in an aftermarket part...but crappy machining. You might get Famous Name Bragging Rights, and discover the part has hidden flaws that make it less-durable than OEM.
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You are almost guaranteed to need the block decked, ESPECIALLY if the pistons have been "destroked" as is common for replacement pistons. The block decks will not be square to the crankshaft, they vary from front to back, and one deck to the other. Typical SBC has the pistons approximately .025--.030 in the hole. Any head gasket thicker than the old-style steel shims at .015--.020 will have TOO MUCH squish/quench clearance. And this is made worse by "destroked" pistons that aren't made to the proper compression height. You can count on needing the decks cut to square them to the crank, and to remove excess quench clearance. So you need to specify your desired squish/quench distance to assure he takes ENOUGH off the deck surfaces once he finds out how far "in the hole" the pistons sit, how thick the head gasket is, and how goofy the decks were made to begin with. (Typically, the decks clean up flat and true with a shallow cut that won't get you to proper squish/quench distance. Some folks go as tight as .027-ish, I'd be satisfied at .035--.040 squish. Which probably means taking AT LEAST .020 off the decks.)
Honing with torque plates is strongly recommended. Ideally, using the same part number head gasket under the torque plate that you plan to use with the engine build.
My machine shop will CHECK the rods, resizing them only if needed. Of course, if you're using hot-rod replacement rod bolts, the rods will have to be resized. In which case, you need to know if you're going to TORQUE the new rod bolts, or STRETCH the new rod bolts...because the resizing has to be done
after the bolts are tightened the same way you plan to tighten them.
WHICH piston is he proposing? "I" would insist on the flat-tops from the TBI Caprice/LT1. You'll gain a little compression, and they're dirt-cheap. They're "destroked" 0.010. Buy the right BRAND, and they come with coated skirts.
www.summitracing.com/parts/slp-h597dcp30
Free Shipping - Speed-Pro Hypereutectic Pistons with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Pistons at Summit Racing.
www.summitracing.com
If you buy through your machinist, they'll cost more due to his profit margin.
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What are "chrome moly" rings??? I've seen chrome rings--garbage for performance use, but suitable for tractors and other farm equipment that sees a lot of dust. Hard on cylinder walls, takes significant break-in.
I've seen moly-faced rings. Wonderful for automotive use. "Broken-in" on the starter when you first crank the engine (Ok, that's slightly exaggerated...)
Chrome-moly is a grade of steel--4340, for example, otherwise known as "tool steel". Unlikely that piston rings would be tool steel.
Any oil-wetted engine surfaces that have been painted WILL NOT be used by me. Oil-wetted surfaces that
aren't painted
can't flake off and plug the oil pickup screen.
If you're using pushrod guideplates, you will HAVE to use hardened pushrods. Pushrods are the LAST thing you buy to complete a long-block, as there's a dozen variables that can affect the needed pushrod length.