Its a 750 flange cylinder not an 850 cylinder.
The top face being close to the top fin means little and does not automatically mean it has been faced outside the factory and that has not been verified measurement wise as a number by the OP.
What is the - 0.050" based off, a factory machining drawing perhaps ?
I checked another 750 cylinder (perfect stock bore in as close to new condition as could be imagined)
The overall height is close to the one I measured this morning but the top gasket face is higher to the top fins (noticeably lower/closer to on the other) but the bottom flanges are different thickness's which might suggest the lower face and spigots were done first then the top face off that.
The fins vertical placement varying within that measurement being a casting to be machined.
Perhaps that 750 flange difference (top face close to top fin) is part of why some fail and others hang in.
'Its a 750 flange cylinder not an 850 cylinder.'
I didn't think that was in dispute, you can see that, and he says '73 750.
But if I understand you, on the basis of the barrel type, you question if there really has been 0.050" milled off, which is a good point. I had just accepted he knew what had been milled off, perhaps not.
The rest of your post confirms that whilst measuring the deck height is useful, the OP really needs to do a trial assembly, to determine he has adequate squish and an acceptable compression ratio for his application.
The issue with this might be piston choice, which might be influenced by the results of the trial assembly, but need to be present to do it!
We don't know if there are pistons present with the barrels or what the OP intends to use. What he also hasn't told us is what he wants to achieve?
If this is a road engine build, he most likely won't want the compression that someone else may have worked to achieve.
If it is a race engine build, then those barrels are not a good start point.
