Hi,
I know what you mean about the marginal lifters. I am currently correcting and repairing a busted 706 cu in that the previous big name builder skimped on several component selections to keep the price down, I guess, not sure though. and did several things or didn't do them, that bothered me to see, but Likley he would not be terribly happy with the way I do stuff either. lol.
This one is supposed to be a 2,200 to 2,500 hp engine and has .842 Comp Cams lifters in it. I freaked when I saw them. lol. But other stuff inside was worse in my opinion. Valve train sucked in my opinion. rocker arm geometry was not right. They selected to use a good brand of steel rods, which made exits through oill pan and chipped the block and busted up the crank and messed up block mains and main caps. I am fixing it but not cheap.
I am quite a pain when it comes to valve train components and setup.
About your question seeking a good builder to help you;
On this Forum we have several very good engine builders, most of us will not toot our own horn and say choose me. lol. Some of us can be checked out on the internet. Some of us have webpages. (Mine is not much yet) . Some of us are maybe better in certain areas than others may be.
I/we appreciate you coming here and trusting the members to make recommendations, but for many of us making recommendations would be tough even if we did not recommend ourselves. Some of us are friends with each other so for example, if I made to you a recommendation, then I would not be being fair to other friends and engine builders whom are here with me.
I will suggest that before you make any decision to check out that person or shop by doing internet searhes, (Bad news and unhappy customers) check feedback reports on ebay if they advertise there. In our Forum here we have a section about known scammers. Check to see if they are listed there. If somone has complained there about a shop you are thinking about using, try to keep an open mind and see what the complaint was and how it was taken care of. When you make your decisiions, you can also check the local Better Business Bureau in the city they are doing business in, for any negative reports. If BBB tells you they can not be identified, thaat is not negative. That means there has never been one complaint.
About the cost to do a freshen up, the shops that will give you an estimate will hopefully let you know that that p;price can and usually will change after they see what you have. If I were to give an estimate, it would have to be guessing. I know several shops that advertise complete freshen of an engine like yours for $@,500 including all parts, labor, and machine work. What this means is no hard parts or parts replacement included. The price is for machine work I.E.Fresen hone, new bearings, rings, gaskets, valve job, That is about all.that price includes. Anything else would be extra.
No one can k ow for certain until they inspect what you have and make recommendations to you.
Hope all this writing is helpful although I did not really answer your question.
Ed
Ed-vanced Engines & Performance
Plano, Texas