Ayuh,..... You pull the risers off the manifolds, clean the gasket surfaces to clean metal, 'n measure the width of the surfaces,.....
New, is 'bout 1/4 inch or wider,....
Failing is when the surfaces can no longer support the gaskets,.....
Many times, they can be brought back to spec with...
Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,...... I'd chalk it up to gauge variation,.....
Not all compression gauges read the same,.....
Nice even numbers are Great,.....
Ayuh,..... Welcome aboard,.... Do the pins move, at all,..??
Try digging 'em loose with a hose pick, screwdriver, whatever,.... bend 'em, bust 'em, break em out, any way you can,.... you can replace em with a piece of ssteel welding wire later,....
Ayuh,..... When swapping long blocks, it's best to keep 'em as original as possible,.....
No way I'd swap the crankshafts, without a trip to the machine shop,.....
I'd be leary of swapping the balancers, as the crank, flywheel, 'n all is balanced as an assembly,.....
