I removed the heads to ship to Lloyd and started immediately seeing yellow-gold areas in each cylinder. All 8 have crosshatch marks. But one cylinder on the driver side had some extra marks.

I'm not an expert but is that a ring mark or something where? Its all smooth, no pitting, scoring, or roughness. What do you guys think? Am I hallucinating/worrying about nothing or is it time for a teardown and start completely over.




This is the one with the 'ring' marks

 

This is a better pic. I've been searching Google for like images and haven't found any yet, but ill keep looking.

 

Need better opinions than mine, but some of that looks to be surface rust to me. Some of the other marks may point to the cylinders needing a little bit of machine cleanup.

 

Do you put it together and does it run sure.
IF it were me I’d have it hot tanked, bored .030, new pistons, rings, rod bearings, cam bearings, mains, oil pump and freeze plugs.
That is definitely a USED engine not some 15k mi take out.

 

Educate me on why the freeze plugs and oil pump? Sounds like my motor is becoming a 355

 

Freeze plugs are hammered in the side of the block. They can rust and leak. You have the block out its as easy as it is ever going to be to put a new set in. A new set is under $20.
Oil pump pumps the oil. A new one is under $30 at Rock Auto.
I always had a rule of thumb. Anytime I took an oil pan off an engine of mine a new oil pump went in. At mostly $20-$30 its CHEAP insurance.

 

I think I made some progress. Used some Atf and some Fast orange (didnt find any do not use comments).

Cylinder across, discoloration at bottom meeting piston and dribble spots...

First few passes...

Second few passes

Third few passes

 

My two cents is worrying about nothing.

It's your motor but it looks like mine did when I took it apart for a valve job. I did not do anything to it, put it together and it is running great! If you take it apart, you will start a string of events that need to all be done nearly perfectly to get it back together. Any one of which, done wrong, will make you wish for the days when your motor looked this good. Yes ,I am of the school that if it ain't broke don't fix it. Good luck!

 

Square you are right. I think it'll be ok now too after all the research