After years of sitting, partially dismantled, I'm working on my 220 again. One of the tasks will be to go over the engine.

I got the head worked over when I did the original disassembly, including a valve job and hardened valve seats.

This weekend, I got the short block on a stand with the intention of taking it to a machine shop. There were no known problems with the engine when I pulled it; I just wanted to get hardened valve seats installed in the head and clean up the engine bay along with the crossmember and suspension. Now, it seems to make sense to go over it before I put it back in the car. There's no cross hatching left, but there's no lip at the top of the bores either. The block needs to be cleaned as it's been sitting in a garage for years. However, I've been careful to keep the cylinders oiled, so there's no visible rust. I also want to paint it and make it pretty.

So, what do I ask the machine shop to do? Do I just drop it off and ask them to tell me what needs to be done? I mostly trust the shop that I've worked with in the past. Should I even take it to a shop? I want to balance doing it the right way against not spending lots of money and I'd hate to have to pull the engine again because I didn't do something obvious.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

How much oil was it using and are you happy with the performance it had?

Wind the piston half way down the stroke and shine a strong torch at the top ring. Is it in one piece? How big does the ring end clearence look? How many miles are you putting on the car?

I would check cam lift with a $20 dial indicator, then try to inspect each lifter and lobe. DO NOT MIX THEM.

An upgrade to lip seals on the crank and an oil pump inspection is a minimum. B20 pumps nearly always need a new relief spring.
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I don't recall it using much oil and the performance seemed adequate.

The rings are in one piece. The clearance was such that I could fit a piece of thin cardstock (thinner than a business card, but thicker than a standard piece of paper) between the piston and the cylinder walls most of the way around. The front 1/3, however, was too tight for the cardstock to fit.

The pistons were stamped "STD", meaning that the engine hasn't been over bored?

Unfortunately, the pushrods were removed when I took the head off, but the lifters are still in place. I'll hunt down a dial indicator and check the lift. I assume I'm looking for consistency rather than a set value? And the inspection of the cam lobes and lifters is for any obvious wear?

Thanks so much for your help. I've done a lot of wrenching over the years, but this is the first time I've had an engine apart to this degree.

It's the lifters that must stay on the same lobe, pushrods are no problem. STD is standard, but you would really have to be unlucky to have a completely worn block that is beyond the next size up.

90 percent of camshaft wear happens in the 1st 30 minutes of a cam and lifters life, if things go well enough, you could loose some lift and not notice, particularly if it's and exhaust. Some lifters maybe dished, but still spining. The question becomes how many miles you want to go before doing a full rebuild.

Something else to do is look at the timing gear, if it looks OK and the backlash measures OK, then leave it. There is no hurry to get an aluminium or cast iron gear set in as they will outlast a bore and pistons. Most fiber gear failure is due to hamfistedness i.e. using screwdrivers or even a puller.

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An alternative falsehood is an alternative fact in a post truth world. - TG.

I would just add this to your examination of the timing gear (fiber type) -- if you see oil streaks emanating from the center hub outward on the forward face --the gear is failing. -- Dave