I am building a 355 so i am getting it bored 30 over by a local shop in ny. anyway the engine builder not the honer said that the shop needs the pistons first but the honer said he could do it without. My ques is who do i believe. any help is appreciated.

 

If they are doing the job correctly, they will need the pistons that you will be using. The reason for this is that although the entire set may be .030" over, there will be some slight variation (maybe as much as .001"). With the pistons in hand, they can mic them and hone it's respective bore for that particular piston, resulting in more acurate and consistant piston clearances for the entire set.