318 LA rebuild after losing a valve seat

I just asked the color as the red would be too large to give accurate readings down at .001". No need to change now as you have been using the right size.

My point on checking the rod end roundness is that it absolutely needs to be done again if the rod journal and rod bearing sizes were so badly mismatched as is suspected. You have no way whatsoever to know that, once they have been so badly distorted, that they will return to round when the distorting forces are released. They may be fine or they may be 'bent'. Sorry for the bad news......

Please recheck your tools and re-measure to find out if the rod journal is truly 2.109" + or -.