[Tom Broome]

I'm struggling to follow your post, so I'll attempt to explain how I would approach your situation. I apologize if this gets a little long winded.


I would not even think about decking the block before I qualified a few other dimensions first. Let me acknowledge that I'm accustomed to the Super Stock process where piston machining is allowable. So I'll alter my thoughts to keep the pistons unmodified.



Before I surfaced the block, I would have the cylinder heads completely finished and know the actual piston to head clearance. On a Hemi, piston to head clearance is equivalent to deck clearance on a wedge engine,so it becomes the critical dimension. If you don't have enough piston to head clearance you will have to run the thicker gasket regardless of dome height. I would anticipate that different "Stock" piston manufacturers have slightly different dome radius profiles. Set your engine up with the crank, rods, pistons, and (preferably used) head gasket you plan to run. Install the cylinder heads, screw a dial indicator fixture into the spark plug hole(s), rotate each cylinder to TDC. Zero the dial indicator, remove the rod cap, and bump the piston(s) against the head. Your dial indicator displays the clearance between the piston and cylinder head. Do that seven more times and determine how much (if any) you need to deck your block. This needs to be done after the heads are surfaced to your specific chamber volume, if you chose to surface the heads it will decrease this clearance dimension.



Then check piston to valve clearance. I know you can't do that because your block has cam bearing issues. Has NHRA checked cam core diameter before? I don't know. If you get caught, are you willing to accept the consequences? I'm certainly not going to encourage you to stray too far into a gray(ish) area. Are you planning to race the car in the States?


As I said earlier, I wouldn't deck the block until you have everything to pre-assemble the short block with heads. It seems you need to reconcile your camshaft situation first, then proceed with your build. Like you said, these parts are difficult to acquire and you need to achieve a successful outcome the first time.