i can understand the question about the reliefs at the oil holes but i have seen that work 8 ways from sunday on 50 different motors and i have never seen it as an issue... and realistically why would it be ? all it does is reduce the surface area a bit right there but in the real world, if the cleareances are correct and the pressure is correct then the bearing doesn't even notice there is a low spot there because it is hydraulically solid. i have seen ford V-8s with a fully radius grove there run 24 hrs at 7500 rpm and the bearings come out perfect. so in a word , no... i don't think the oil reliefs are an issue. and if gellner built those motors, he is clearly a knowledgeable guy and wouldn't do something fundementally wrong . i still say that you need to check the clearences mechanically with a dial bore gage and micrometer. get some real answers and data and then call us back.

Does the oil smell burnt?

Seeing the cam and lifters it looks like there was a lack of a proper lubrication boundary/layer of oil, like the oil got real hot or pressure/flow at the actual mains/rods and cams was inadequate. As far as the oil reliefs, they look goofy, I wouldn't have ground them that way but its possible your engine builder has done it that way for years on other engines and it has worked. There wasn't a sale on recycled/reclaimed oil at advance auto was there??? (just kidding). I built a aluminum rodded motor for a jet boat I used to have years ago with no oil cooler and when my oil pressure dropped to 3 psi hot at idle and 20 lbs at wot brecause of the con rods growing from heat (didn't know that at the time I did it)my bearings and crank looked similar or worse in 20 hours, yours looks simila. What kind of oil pressure did you have hot at idle?? did you have a oil temp gauge, I would think your oil was 300+ degreees and not able to hardly carry any pressure hot if I was guessing.

Might want to send the oil out and have it tested.

Were they built by Gellner Marine?

you can send the oil to your bookie and he can tell you that its full of bronze, copper , steel, cast iron, aluminum and various other trace metals.

no analysis required. just reasonable eyesight

i think you are absolutely right about the oil temp. the question will be why ? that funny about the al rod thing. an F1 motor is essentially seized at room temp and has to be preheated to a 120 degress just to rotate and my DFL cosworths were similar.

Since I have a motor built by the same company (Im pretty sure) im going to keep a eye on this thread. Mine was done around the same time if I remember correctly.

My bookie quit the engine building business, and since I lost my glasses I can't see if there was some sort of contaminant that may have caused the oil to break down.

i dont know what brand of parts were used,but i do know that most of the time,YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR.i thihk if you check rod side clearance,you wont like what you find.