I tore down a 617 block this morning and dropped it off at my local automotive machine shop (Cassidy Automotive - Macon, Ga) for I imagine will be a resleeve job. Hauled it down there in the trunk of the '85
. Wish I had read the post earlier I would have tried to get some pics.
Replacing the chain is a job that you and the wife should be able to do if she can follow verbal instructions
. My 10 yr old is turning into my mechanic. He removed all the studs from the engine today while we were tearing it down. He is learning about the "tedious" part of this work
. Today he learned all about using two nuts to remove a stud.