Checking rod bearing clearances on an S54B32 I’m rebuilding and on bearing 2 the plastigauge is coming out wider toward the front of the engine. I’ve double checked there’s no debris behind either bearing half, and the plastigauge is within spec along the entire length. Is this something I should worry about? Not looking to make any crazy with power with this engine, keeping it stock and mostly to be used for daily driving.

Car bought by my dad in 1968. Dad build the engine while in high school. Has the old edelbrock scorpion intake. Though ya'll might like to hear a old school 383 build. One of the meanest sounding 383's ive heard. Pulls very hard to about 7400 RPM. 3.73 gears in the rear.

Parked the car behind his house in 2009. I got my hands on it this year, about 25k into the car. Only think left is the new wiring harness, then strip, body work, and paint.

(The drum brakes arent on it anymore)

Just got the original heads redone on my 454 BBC.

Aside from larger valves and new guides, I had the deck surface shaved down .060 to try and up compression more without changing pistons.

One thing I noticed with reassembly is the roller rocker contact to the valve tip is slightly off center now. I marked in sharpie where it makes contact in my photo.

Does this look acceptable or should I look for shorter pushrods?

Is it silly to go 11.7:1 on a B20 with stock rods? I got the speedfactory pistons and was told my rods will be okay with arp rod bolts and proper machining, but should i just go for upgraded rods? Is there any specific no go zones with stock rods for B20’s?
Any advice is appreciated thank you!

What would be a good recommendation for a camshaft for a 94+ 351w. I'm not looking for anything crazy, just something budget friendly for a college kid that wants to build a carb swapped roller with a nice rhythm at idle. Im okay swapping valve springs, rocker arms and pushrods. I have little to no experience building an engine with aftermarket parts, lots of experience with stock parts though lol. Any help is appreciated!

1969 Ford XL(full size) 302 2v. Coolant is puddling in the rear two cylinders. A tiny bit in the adjacent cylinders. Compression seems fine at 140 PSI. Is it more likely that the intake manifold gasket is leaking or the head gasket?