Lozer Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 So I got my kae down to the bottom end and I'm wondering if I can reuse the rod bolts and studs if I take em apart to check bearing wear? Probably gonna replace all the bearings anyway. Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 I'm of the opinion that if it aint broke, don't "fix" it so I have to ask, why do you think you need to check or replace your bearings? If you have never done this before, please pay close attention when you are taking it apart. If you check the bearings and they aren't excessively worn, just re-use them, but be sure to put them back in the same holes that they came out of. Nissan color codes their bearings to indicate thickness so putting them back where they came from is important. If you think you need to replace the bearings, make extra sure. If you replace a perfectly usable OEM bearing with an auto parts store brand, you may be worse off than when you started. OEM bearings are a tri-metal construction with a steel shell lined with copper and then sprayed with a lead final layer. Aftermarket bearings are often a steel backing with an aluminum liner that doesn't compare favorably to OEM bearings. Yes you can re-use the rod bolts and nuts. Lube them to re-torque them. This may be a long winded response, but you don't sound particularly sure about what you are doing. Post pics of the bearings if you want a difinitive answer of whether or not they should be replaced. 2 Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 What method are you going to use to check these bearings if you do unbolt the caps? Quote Link to comment
EricJB Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 I would not just blindly replace old bearings with new. Your'e going to need to take some measurements that require a good micrometer and a bore gauge. Or at the least, a set of telescoping gauges and know how to use them. A pin mic helps too, to measure any deviations in brg thickness. I just use a 0-1 mic with a test pin. Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 I use a 0-1" mic with a ball bearing glued to the tip. A cheap dial bor gauge is only $60. And then you need to buy two different mics to be able to measure the rod journals and crank journals. Quote Link to comment
Lozer Posted January 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 Good info guys. I'm refreshing the motor and have no history on it so before I throw it in the dime I'm going through it. Valve seats were shot when I did a leakdown. The rings seem fine. As all the leakage was from the exhaust valves. I was just going to inspect the bearings to make sure none were toast. If they are then its off to the machine shop if not then back in they go. I had read somewhere that you need to replace the rod studs after removal. Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 No, you don't need to replace the rod bolts. Technically they are a torque sensitive "stretch" bolt, but for what we're doing, they will be fine. Quote Link to comment
scooter Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 if theyre loose in the rod though, like if they just fall out, id be pullin the rods out and taking them to the machine shop too. if they say they need to be reconditioned, a set of arp rod bolts is cheap insurance. Quote Link to comment
Andres131313 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 From what I wad tought you should never reuse the bearings ones you pull the cap. But if your going through all that trouble to pull I'll of that off why not just change the rings out to? So you don't have to do it again when your rings go and your bearings are new Quote Link to comment
720inOlyWa Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Good thread. I got a lot out of it. Thanks. Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 No harm reinstalling cap and bearing if they are in good shape. Just make sure they are installed exactly where they came from and in the same orientation. Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 From what I wad tought you should never reuse the bearings ones you pull the cap. But if your going through all that trouble to pull I'll of that off why not just change the rings out to? So you don't have to do it again when your rings go and your bearings are new As i said earlier in this thread: "If you have never done this before, please pay close attention when you are taking it apart. If you check the bearings and they aren't excessively worn, just re-use them, but be sure to put them back in the same holes that they came out of. Nissan color codes their bearings to indicate thickness so putting them back where they came from is important. If you think you need to replace the bearings, make extra sure. If you replace a perfectly usable OEM bearing with an auto parts store brand, you may be worse off than when you started. OEM bearings are a tri-metal construction with a steel shell lined with copper and then sprayed with a lead final layer. Aftermarket bearings are often a steel backing with an aluminum liner that doesn't compare favorably to OEM bearings." You can absolutely re-use old bearings and sometimes re-using a factory OEM style bearing is a far better option than replacing them. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Have to say bearing clearance is bearing clearance weather lead lined or aluminum. A used factory bearing can only be good as new or slightly worn. A new after market bearing surely is as good as a factory new bearing, or why make them? How long would Clevite or anyone else stay in business if their bearings were not as good as new stock ones?? Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Where would most people shop for rod and main bearings? The auto parts store. What bearings do most auto parts stores push? They tend to push the cheap, readily available bearing. Name brands like King are not always good bearings. They are aluminum sprayed onto steel. They don't hold up to detonation or heat as well as a tri metal bearing. So yes, aftermarket bearings are as good as OEM, but only if they are the tri metal type. Quote Link to comment
scooter Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 clevite or ACL ftw ive seen guys run king bearings with success, but id rather have a tri metal bearing as well. 1 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 The factory bearings were NDG and sometimes they would show up in Clevite packaging. Look for the NDG logo stamped on back. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I remember the copper ones. Rebuilt my 521 L16 in the mid '70s and couldn't afford bearings. Pulled them out of my 510 engine and picked the ones with the least amount of copper showing. (they all had some) 2 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 That's just starting to break in. At least we don't have to pour babbit into bearing shells anymore. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Probably my dad's '51 chev had them. It was splash oiling no oil pumps back then. I remember our mechanic neighbor came over while I was at school and did something to the main bearings. Shimmed the bearings? I can't remember. Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 That's a great pic. I remember my grandfather telling me a story about how they used to take the rod caps off and scrape them along the blacktop or concrete road surface to tighten up the worn babbit bearings. This was performed while on the road. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 An old foreman told me of his younger days traveling around northern Ontario looking for work. Had an old flat head Ford six. They were nowhere near home, broke and fried a piston. They took the rod and piston out. Carved a poplar branch and hammered it into the bore to seal it up. Threw the flat head on and kept going. Said it took them hundreds of miles before the heat dried the wood and it shrunk and fell out. Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 That's a gret story too. Nothing like a little outside the box thinking. We were snow wheeling a few years ago up on the Rubicon. It was into the -20's at night. We woke up one morning and got going when we heard a loud bang. My buddy snapped off his right rear brake caliper while trying to get moving. Apparently the pads froze to the rotor overnight. He wanted to take the caliper off and cut and pinch the brake line. Instead, I took the caliper off and wired it up to the frame while he went and cut a slice of a poplar tree and stuffed it into the caliper so the pads wouldn't fall out. When you're hosed, you're not really hosed. You just have to think about your options at the time. Usually a solution presents itself. Quote Link to comment
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