Guess we'll never know until you flux those rods, eh? Isn't x-raying a good tactic for finding cracks too? I always thought cryogenically treating parts like this was a good idea, given what's on the net about it.
I know you're getting ready to bore, thought you might find this interesting, from
http://www.sme.org/cgi-bin/find-articles.pl?&ME08ART40&ME&20080601&SME :
Finally, Schaefer points to a lesser-known honing process in North America which has been used since 2002 in over a million gasoline and diesel engines worldwide: laser structuring. Situated in the standard honing process between rough honing and finish honing, laser structuring uses a laser incorporated in a conventional honing spindle to burn microscopic pockets inside the engine cylinder.
Schaefer describes laser structuring as a technology that allows engine builders to further improve engine oil effectiveness. Creating a kind of enhanced crosshatching, the process produces a homogeneous "engineered surface structure" that reduces friction in the cylinder wall. This structure cuts emissions, and enhances gas mileage by over 6% when the entire cylinder surface is treated (according to tests cited by Gehring). The process can also be used for bushings and piston rings—"or wherever we need to optimize the lubrication and surface conditions," says Schaefer