A good article Mark. As you noted however it is pretty dated.

Even 7-8 years ago early Hemi parts were just about non-existent. At that time what little bit that was available was drying up pretty rapidly and prices were through the roof.

It's a pretty disgusting feeling to have a nice standard crank that will clean up with polishing or just a .010 cut and only be able to get.030 under bearings for it (been there done that). Fortunately with the popularity of the early Hemis growing the market place now has a fair amount of alternatives available.

As an example Federal/Clevite bearing for a 331-354 run about $350 for the mains and $200 for the rods (and your limited to standard or .010). At that price, paying for the machine work to rework the bearing caps may make sense, but keep in mind you will have to add that cost to the price of being able to use the cheaper bearings.

On the other hand on the other hand you can buy the King bearings (which from what I've read have just as high quality and longevity) for $110 for the mains and $90 for the rods in sizes from standard .010, .020 and .030. Without having to add in the cost of extra machining the King bearings are a pretty good deal.

Additionally cams, lifters and even high performance oil pumps are now readily available without having to go to the trouble of having to do a bunch of custom 1 off fabrication.