454 rebuild (newby questions)

Hello all;

I'm as new as you can get to rebuilding engines so please bear with me if my lack of knowledge makes me ask stupid / too many questions.

I've got a 454 that I'm going to rebuild as my first rebuild project. It is supposed to have been built up for more performance, etc. Anyway it overheated and did some damage to one of the pistons. I've pulled it apart and found ...

It has two or more brands of pistons in it. Will that affect anything (they all appear to be the same shape and size on the dome and all have one valve relief.

I can still see the cross-hatching from when the cylinders were bored out so there does not seem to be much wear.

Should I have the same brand pistons for all eight cylinders or does it matter?

If it doesn't matter what would you do? Replace all the pistons even thought they are not worn or just replace the one that has some scoring on it? (the #8 piston has some scoring on one skirt.)


The bearing area on the crank shaft for the connecting rod has a VERY slight ridge I can feel when running a fingernail over it. The others are completely smooth. I could probably take it down with some fine grit sandpaper but is that a no-no? (meaning would there be a bearing fit issue afterward)

Also, I was told by a friend that 454's are prone to cracking the block when they overheat. Is there a 'usual spot' that this happens or is it just a random chance to where it would crack? I'm going to bring it in to have it checked anyway but would like to know where to look just in case.

Of course anything else that you could advise me to look for would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.