Tony

I tell ya, this list is priceless. Ive had some great answers/input..from this post and a couple of others recently.

Im at work today and dont have accces to the crank, but if i recall the "blueing" seems to be pretty consistent in coverage and where it occurs. I think it is a part of the "construction" procces involved with the crank. That was my initial guess to begin with, but i wanted a few more opinions.. The rod bearings look OK, not perfect, but definitely not showing signs of damage that this type of frictional heat would produce. Ill split the block when i get home and see the rest of it. The thrust bearing checked well within tolerances.

thanks again.