Would Livengood build you a motor with shit cases that won't hold an oil seal even if you told him to? Fwiw from what I've read Clarence is an epic pos. Just can't wrap my head around the build, or lack of. If a builder was willing to go that route, there should be tons of documents protecting their liability.
If that's what he was asked to do to skimp on costs and get a customer on the track, I'm betting most would. They all got bills to pay, and it's the customer paying them. Edit: now, if they knew said customer would turn around and sell it as a fresh rebuild, I'm betting near none would.
How bout a reputation of doing the work a customer asks/tells you to do, then pays you for?? Jesus dude ... it's not always up to the builder.