I was in the same boat as you a few months back. I wanted to do the rebuild myself on my 223 but my limited expirence and tool cost told me no. I dropped it off at a shop this winter and told the guy to take all the time he wanted, I was in no hurry. I got it back this weekend. It was totaly redone. Everything is new except the crank. Parts were around $650 and total cost was about $1200, Included acid wash, primed and flywheel reground. I'm happy with that since I budgeted 2k for the final cost.

 

well i have a question i have a 351w in my 94 f 250 it has 75000 miles on it when i push the clutch in my fly wheel moves in about a 1/4 in. i think that means that the bearings on my crank is bad im trying to figure it out before i tear the motor apart

 

Does the crank pully on the front of the engine move forwards a similar amount when you push in the clutch? How do you know the flywheel is moving? 1/4" is an awful lot of movement even with the thrust surface on the main bearing having severe wear. Also that much wear with only 75K miles? Did someone run it for an extended amount of time with no oil in it while riding the clutch pedal? Sorry, but to me it doesn't likely add up to a bearing issue, look more closely for an external cause.