[randy wilson]

I don't know about filling a Ford block, but I've filled three GM 283, and 327, and 350 blocks in my life. I would NEVER fill a block. Every time we've done it, when you get ready to re-hone, the chatter from the stones going down in an oblong bore, is deafening. They NEVER stay round. On the other hand, when not using filler, the block was WAY straighter. And yes, we use a plate.