It's a valid concern, but impossible to know the condition of the internals without a teardown.

 

I know I'm going into this blind but i was quoted $3500 to replace the rings and I'm not going to spend that kind of money on this motor, for that i can but a crate motor new! But................. when the heads are removed can you get a good guesstimate of the condition of the crank and associated parts by the condition of the walls? Do ya think?

 

I think you're going to keep asking questions until you hear what you want to hear.

 

No just want to know my RISK factor, and if the answer is no it's OK. After all money don't grow on trees. LOL

 

It's a valid concern, but understand you won't get enough data to make a fully informed decision unless you disassemble the bottom end. Factors that affect bearing wear can leave cylinder walls looking fine, and vice versa. All depends on the conditions the engine has seen.

Mods which increase power production also accelerate wear on the engine. That is reality.

If your bearings are on the marginal end of their useful life, upgrading cam/heads/etc will simply shorten the life of an engine without much more time on it.

The cam bearings will tell you a bit more about the engine's condition than just the cylinder walls. You'll be able to see them and mic the front two while the cam's out.

 

Now that is some useful information, Thank You. I've been out of this for about 30 years and my motor head is a little slow but is getting a jump start. My car has always been taken care of like using Mobil1 Full Syn and changing before it's time so I think it is in good shape. I will need to do a compression test to see where any leaking may be coming from before I proceed. That's if I can get away from my honeydo list this weekend. The car actually still runs good I'm just concerned about all of the miles on it. I'm big on PM it's better to take it down that to have it break down.