Case inspection prior to rebuild Options

[Cevan]

What is the normal practice in terms of inspecting the case halves prior to a rebuild? Is this something I can do myself?

All the bearing surfaces looked fine and the connecting rod play was between .008 and .010. Assuming I don't see any visual signs of damage, does it need to be sent to a professional who I assume has an expensive tool that checks the alignbore?

[HAM Inc]

Less than an hour ago I decked the case that we're using for our next F-Prod race engine. Like EVERY case I have ever decked (and I have decked a lot!), it had at least one spigot that had "sunk" unevenly toward the engine centerline.

This case was actually one of the better ones I have decked as only one spigot (#3) was out. Most cases, especially the later ones, have multiple, if not all spigot collpased. In most cases the point on each spigot that is closest to it's neighbor will be the lowest point, that would 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock.

Many head leaks can be traced to this condition and the problem will increase piston friction as the cylinders are not square to the crank. That friction can lead to lost power and elevated oil temps if bad enough.

The sagging is not always detectable with straight edges, though the classic sag of the 3&9 o'clock areas can be detected with a straight edge.

I should also point out that while the #1&2 spigots had not sagged on my case they weren't level. Both were flat and parrallel to the crank, but #1 was a couple of thousanths higher than #2! I see this a lot as well!
Cases decked on a poorly trammeled mill will not be level, and poor technique will cause issues as well. The same is true with flycutting heads.