[Jack21]

Here's my .02 $, only because it applies to any engine build.

"Should I deck the block?"

If my machinist told me, "Ehhh, some do, and some don't", I'd promptly find another machine shop!

As described above, machining a block deck cures a number of problems in one operation. So, the correct answer from the machinist is, "The block needs decking because.....", or, "The block does not need decking because.....".

Should you entrust a machinist who doesn't know the right measurements to take to give you an accurate assessment, you'll have a decked block, with the problems still present.

Time was, most auto machine shops rebuilt grocery getter motors, and performance work was occasional, if at all. And you had to tell the guy exactly what you wanted.

Today, the grocery getter motor business is drying up, and performance work is a mainstay. Today,the engine assembly area looks more like a hospital operating room than the greasy workbench of yesteryear.

You should be able to take the motor into the machine shop, and the machinist should tell you what it needs with good, better, and best options. And he should know what works best for your application because he sells them every day. And it's bad for his business (which is largely word-of-mouth) if you break one of "his" engines.