Thanks again Jeff, and thankyou Eric for letting it go. Just a little update on the progress: engine is ready to be pulled tomorrow, and I've found bits of piston skirt material lurking beneath the small amount of oil still in the oil pan. I just hope I can get my engine stand into my car to take to work without disassembling it. I'm planning on throwing my engine/tranny in so I can rebuild this one to handle some major abuse. We'll see what happens...lol. Best Regards, Mark.