400 cubic inch Pontiac buildup: The Procrastination Pontiac Part 1

Here it is,17 years in the making, I'm finally building the 400 for my 1973 Pontiac Ventura. I have no real viable excuse for why it's taken 17 years to get to this point but whatever. The engine in question is a 1973 400 pontiac 2 bolt main block,It had well over 100,000 miles on it when it was torn down. The fact that it had so miles is a good thing,It means the block has been through thousands of heating and cooling cycles and is less susceptible to core shift,therefore a great rebuild candidate.

At the machine shop the engine block went through a battery of procedures that will hopefully make a strong running engine.After the block was thoroughly cleaned The cylinders were bored 0.030 over,The deck has been milled 0.010. The main bolts have been replaced with ARP main studs for increased strength the main bores were also align honed.The machine shop also installed cam bearings.

First thing I did was tape off the machined surfaces and paint the block to prevent flash rust.
I then installed brass freeze plugs, Brass freeze plugs are a good investment because they won't rust like the steel ones. In the long run it's cheap insurance. I like to paint the block then install the freeze plugs because I think it makes for a more custom appearance. It's also perfectly acceptable to fog them engine color

This is a biggie! Most machine shops remove the passenger side oil galley plug when they clean the block. If it isn't reinstalled the engine will have little or no oil pressure.
  Stay tuned for part 2 when we assemble the bottom end