Troys Toy 70

I have a marine 455 block that I have owned over 20 years on an engine stand. I started to build it when I was a much younger man, invested alot of money, and ran into a couple of snags, and there it stopped.

Here is what was done to it and what I have, by memory and a few receipts that I still have. Machine work was done by Jeggs.


Normal-Hot Tanked Block, cam bearings, freezeplugs
Magnafluxed Crank
Crank .010 on mains .020 rods
Polished Crank
Champer oil holes
Rods reconditioned
Machined and Polished Rod Beams
Attached Pistons to Rods TRW Forged Flat-top 10:50's
Balanced Assembly
Bore Block with Plate
Cam- Crane Part# 804551 -Intake 32 BTDC 70 ABDC Duration 282, Lift Cam @ 3067 Valve @ 491 -Exhaust 76 BBDC, 34 ATDC Duration 290 290 Cam @ 3236 Valve at 518. Crane Lifters.
ARP Main Studs and Rod Bolts.
Elderbrock Torker Intake.


Now to the question, when I was assembling the block and started to put in the lifters some would not go in. Out of 16, only 5 or 6 would go in, and it wasn't like only those lifter bores would take lifters. I actually took a lifter out of the box, started with a bore on the front of the motor and started working my way around the valley until it found a lifter and bore that worked.


I need to mic the valley, I don't remeber what it was 20 years ago.

Is it possible that the Lifter bore would somehow get out of shape/round?
Did the marine blocks have a different lifter bore? What should the lift bore mic out at?