Don't forget before you price out all those expensive quality compenents: FRPP has the 5.0 short block for $1,300 in Summit or Jeg's. It's the one I'm using now, and I love it.

Hypereutectic slugs, 5 cc dish (9:1 CR w/68cc heads)
Forged rods, forged crank
factory spin-balanced
Brand new block, 2 bolt mains
Hyd. Roller cam installed, Silent timing set installed

$1,300. I really wanted to build my engine with my own hands, but when you start putting quality parts together, the cost of the parts alone far exceeds the price of this baby, which is build to better than production standards by the best engine builders in the land. It's a fantastic excuse to upgrade to a roller cam as well. TK

 

Forged crank? Well I was going to skimp on that and get a cast crank and forged rods......hrrm. Plus spin balanced, not dynamic? Hrrm...

Did you by chance pop a cap off to check the bearing clearance?
If not, how is your oil pressure? Any blowby yet? How many miles on it so far?

Sorry for all the questions, but I figure who better to ask than someone that has one..

 

I didn't want to mess with my mains, so I left them alone. I replaced the oil pump while I was there with a high volume pump. Oil pressure didn't seem to be an issue for me, but I only have the idiot guage...but it has always been up.

this solution solved all my blowby issues...and I had a LOT of oil pumping out the air cleaner and a rough idle. I only have 1k on it since I did the work, but changed my oil 100 miles after the work and since then it still looks light colored like new. engine is much more powerful of course, and I don't smoke at all now. check out the piston pics in my gallery if you like.

that small block from Summit seems like a great deal...but there's something to be said about fixin' it yourself...I'm a happy camper.