Measured a couple of the pistons today to see how much they'd changed due to wear-n-tear and my having "scrubbed" the heck outta the skirts w/ ScotchBrite to remove the scuffing. Both had "shrunk" about .0007" compared to the original Ross spec sheet dimensions for the set (e.g. 4.3745" now vs 4.3752").

I think the cylinders picked up about .002" w/ the re-hone job, which puts the clearance in the .007-.008" range. Ross' instructions say to run .004-.005", but also mention that engines honed w/o torque plates will require additional clearance (although they don't specify how much more). Due to circumstances beyond my control, the re-hone on this particular block was done w/o plates, so I may not be as far out on clearance as it looks.

Given the semi-budget nature of this rebuild, I'm thinking I'll pass on the skirt coating expense at this time and just run 'em as is.