Weekend warrior update: I pulled the heads off over the last couple of days and have a two machine shops I plan to visit before the end of the week.
In addition to having the spring pressure checked and minimal decking (so I can use stock pushrods and rocker assembly), I've read (on this forum) that a three angle profile for the valve seats is recommended when your heads are out for a refresh. Maybe this is already included in the "standard" machine shop refresh procedure but I wanted to ask here rather than make the assumption.
I found no broken or bent (table top roll test pending) pushrods but some wear at the top/tip of a few valve stems tips on the drivers side. I did notice a rocker shaft bolt (drivers side) that wasn't as tight as the others (bolt closets to front of block) that could be the cause of the vavle tip wear. The rocker shaft assembly looks to be in good shape and if the pushrods are straight, should I reuse?
I did not find a gasket blowout like I had envisioned and seen online but more of a dark spot on the topside of the gasket (9 o'clock) for cylinder 4. Maybe this is the point of failure and that's why I had 0 PSI for my cylinder 4 compression test.
With the lower half of the engine exposed I plan on cleaning up the head mating surfaces and around the outside of the block. What about the piston tops/crown? Should I take a brillo pad and degreaser to them?
The oil pan will be removed this weekend. I will clean as best as I can and will install a cork gasket with the right stuff and original bolts. With the exhaust manifolds/crossover removed, now should be a good time to replace the rear main seal (oil on starter, bell housing cover, crossover pipe midpoint), right?
Last but not least, how many more bolts would I need to remove to just pull the block out at this point?
Thanks in advance.