Thanks, Richard.
I have begun the teardown, just barely, though. I assume by "egged" or "tapered" you are referring to the 'out-of-round' configuration of the cylinders. I didn't know to do that, but I will.
Interestingly enough, when I took off the flywheel, the freeze plugs looked like they had just been put in. There was nothing even remotely resembling dust, dirt or road grime anywhere around the back of the engine. Is this normal for a car that has been on the road? When I got this engine it was mounted in a disassembled 1929 Nash coupe. I had worked on assembling and wiring the coupe for a while before recently selling it. the new owner was going all AMC and didn't want the SBC, so I kept it and the 400TH hooked to it. The engine hasn't been used for the 10 years I have owned it, and the car wasn't driveable when I bought it. I decided to learn about engines while I was between cars, so here I am.