The new cam bearings & freeze plugs will be easy enough to spot when you pick up the block. The new cam bearings won't have any wear or scores, and since the block will be free of paint, the new freeze plugs will be nice and bright shiny metal. Your block will be rust free, and hopefully super clean inside and out. The machine shop will first bore the engine cylinders, then hone the cylinders to put a nice cross hatch pattern in the cylinders. As for the performance of the build, there are alot of questions to be thought through. Will you be towing, do you care about gas mileage, are you keeping the fuel injection, auto or manual transmission ...... and the list goes on. The most important question is how much do you plan on spending? Is this going to be a "show" engine, or hidden from view? When I built mine, I knew it would be in plain view, so the cost when up. The earlier suggestion of buying a crate engine is a good one, however building (and learning) your engine has its own rewards. For my next project, I'll build the engine. There is no better feeling than cruising down the road knowing you built it! I would call Summit Racing's Tech line, and they can help you make the selection of cam and other performance goodies. Look to researching headers, cam, valve springs, pistons and exhaust for a minimal investment to GO ratio. Those books I talked about will cover alot, but as you go deeper into the build, the questions and cost will increase.

Bob