Kill me now, please.

67Dart273 said
Time to tear that engine down and "start over" with a jaundiced eye.

Maybe wrong size bearings on a turned crank? Maybe wrong bearings PERIOD?

Is this a "re ring?" Maybe the piston rings are too tight, IE dirt / carbon in the piston grooves.

bearings, that could be the issue, the rings, I think have been excluded when he loosened all the caps and it turned just fine

I think the idea to loosen one cap at a time until you find the culprit is the way to go