Head studs do offset the bore of the head from the block slightly and cause the rings to clearance themselves on the "lip" created by the distortion. Having said that, thousands of people have studded their heads (ford, dodge, and gm) without any problems. IMO if you have the means and knowledge to split the tranny and pull the motor then spend the few extra bucks that you thought you were going to spend on the studs and have the bore trued up by a reputable machine shop, im sure Henry can point you in the right direction:thumb: i believe it was trent that had a thread on this topic IIRC
*EDIT* sorry just watched the video