slomo: I'm not quite sure what you are saying in your post, but I did ensure that the crank and cam punch marks aligned.
If is curious to me that, despite multiple posts regarding the hole punched in the valve push rod pocket, and many kind attempts to help with my problem engine, no one has commented on the possibility of the oil coming through the punched hole.
A local machine shop that I have a relationship with (45 year old track hoe....needs a lot of parts work) is interested in fixing the pocket, so I'll tear the motor down again tomorrow and take the case in. If unsuccessful, I see a new OEM crank case is $334 on ebay, so I'll grab one and move forward. Perhaps it will even have the expected compression ratio of 120 psi
Thanks for the help.