Re using cast iron rings?

Mmmmm torque plates. In my almost 47 years of racing I’ve had one block (my R3 block) that has ever had a torque plate bolted to it. And I think I’ve had some pretty good running engines.
My experience has been that if you check, say, 10 random 360 blocks, you might normally find 2 that show some level of distortion with the plate bolted on. How much is another discussion. Now, certain blocks from other manufacturers can be more or less sensitive too it also. But as a guy that gets paid to use them, I typically only do it if the customer requests it. Take that for what its worth.