Ive seen good and bad stories of people doing their own notching. Ive actually practiced on my 05 4.6L mock up engine, and was quite successful, but always room for improvement. I used a spare head, valve, gasket, but what I didn't do is set the piston to where it's closest to the valve. I just had the piston TDC. What I really want to know is, does the notching make the ring land susceptible to failure? Does it make it prone to break? If it doesn't, should I have the top coated? I have good used pistons here at the shop, I want to make an accurate jig, but just had some questions in doing so.