Last night I started tearing down the lower end. Got the pan off, removed oil suction tube, it has a brace that bolts to the block. The part of the brace that mates with the block that the bolt goes thru was cracked in half so will have to TIG that and put another piece on it to stiffen it. Anyway, I got the rods and pistons out and called it a night. The next step was to measure the bores before I loosened the main caps which I planned to do today. The block was in the stand crank up so I made a mental note to remove the tappets this am before flipping it over to mic the bores. So what do I do this morning?, flip it over and watch all the tappets fall out on to the floor. Now what? The book specifically says to mark each tappet so it goes back in its original bore with its original push rod. I had marked the push rods when I took them out. Do I have to buy all new tappets and push rods? What's the risk if I just stick the tappets back in anyway? They're in great shape, I'm thinking if i just check the valve clearance more frequently I may be ok, anyone know? On the plus side, the bores are great, max of .0008 taper on one, the rest .0005 or less. This engine is on its first overbore. The crank is in great shape, never been ground. The rod bearings definitely need replacing, a little bit of base metal showing thru the babbit in spots. mains look good but will replace anyway. The pistons look like new. I'm planning on using a 220 grit ball hone to deglaze, new perfect circle rings along with rod and mains.