1st Time Flathead build-Need advice

As others have said, let the shop bore it after you have the pistons. Not only do manufacturer's tolerances vary, but different kinds of piston/ring combos need different clearances. Cast vs. Forged, Aluminum vs. Iron, etc.

As for assembly, you could probably do it yourself with a torque wrench and some feelers and plastigauge, but for the additional price it's probably worth them doing it for peace of mind.
 
As a former operator, I don't think that ANY shop will bore without pistons in hand... Any problem ultimately becomes the shop owners problem... A guy with a mic can determine what overbore is likely to cover the wear...
Karl
 
All above responses overlook the question of "what will it take to clean up the bores.". There is nothing wrong with having the block bored, minus a few thousands for honeing and piston fitting to see if it will clean up at a particular oversize bore before you supply pistons. This is particularly attractive when bores have sat with water in them, and you can't easily tell what the required oversize will be. It's not rocket science, it common sense, and a thoughtfull machinist will not balk at doing it that way if you are both on the same page.
 
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