Should I just Go it alone??

With the video I purchased from the sponsors of this fine board, my I&T manual and lots of info from the archives, I think I can replace the sleeves myself. What about re-facing the valve seats? Can I get by with lapping the new valves to the seats? I do know someone who can measure the angle of the existing seats and tell me how far off from 45 degrees they are. I think I can come up with the $25-$50 to have the block and accessories dip-cleaned, but would I have a successful rebuild if I just scrubbed the engine down real good myself (and if so, what is the preferred cleaning solvent)?

Or is it worth the money to wait (possibly a few more months) to have a shop do the work I mentioned? I have planned all along to re-assemble everything myself after the shop is done.

A clean block is a very worthwhile investment. It can even help expose some other problems you may not otherwise see cleaning it yourself. Just be sure to clean out the oft-overlooked oil passage thru the block. Dipping alone won't get rid of blockage there.

If your valve seats aren't pitted too badly, why not lap the valves yourself? These are pretty tough engines built during a time when Ford actually expected people to perform their own repairs.

The sleeves are easier then you think, but you have to be patient and take it slowly so's you don't score a cylinder wall or bend one of your nice new sleeves.

You've gotten this far on your own and to do so tells me you can handle it fine without hiring someone else to complete it.

Best of luck.