DJK

With .003 clearance, according to my manual, this is too much clearance. Went back to machine shop for remeasure, he suggested .002 bearings. Had .001 clearance with plastigauge, unfortunately crank would not turn, same with rods. Had already sent back the set of std. bearings, reordered new std. Sealed Power bearings from two different sources. Checked with George Ashe Jr. (who at 89 is still building flat heads) to verify the use of std. bearings. The crank journals were all well w/in specs. Just under .002 clearance w/ plastigauge and new std. bearings. Engine sounds great, 45# at fist start, 40# driving down the road, 35# at hot idle. I have done 3 heat cycles and retorqued head after complete cool down. Will perform hot valve adjustment. In regards to the bearings, the first set of mains were packed in shrink wrap and looked like new reproduction, the rod bearings had a piece of foam in the package that crumbled when touched not to mention they were rusty on the sides and crushed together with scratches on the bearing surface.

Update: engine is in and running like a top, 40 +/- 5# oil pressure, no noises and no leaks so far. I had adjusted the valves before installing engine @ .010 int. and .013 ex., I assume I should recheck them hot????? Thanks for all the help in getting this project ready. First cruise in is Fri.

Update: Mains arrived today, checked with plastigauge = just under .002" clearance, cleaned off plastigauge, apply prelube, torque main caps(w/o rope seal), crank spins very smoothly. Wed. AM my 80 yo friend, who worked on these vehicles back in the day, is coming to help install the rope seal. Life is good.

Talked to 89 yo George Ashe Jr. last week(who is currently building a flathead engine), he said as long as the crank measures std., go with std. bearings. Rod and mains ordered (sealed power), rod bearings arrived, checked with plastigauge as per George, a liitle less than .002" clearance. Waiting on the mains to show up. The way I see it, the engine had 40# of oil pressure with 68 yo bearings, the new bearings are approx. .001 thicker than the old ones, I should be golden!!!

Nice pictures. Chrysler event is July 9-11

I went to NAPA for the speedi sleeve and seal. Measure the diameter of the flange for the proper sleeve.

I had good luck with the speedi sleeve and modern neopreme seal. I used Pennzoil 80w-90 gear lube in my 52 Cranbrook.

I had mine repaired at Auto Instruments Martinsville Va. $205.00 + 30.75 shipping.

I don't know if it is a run around or just not understanding a 69 yo engine. I already sent back the std. bearings, and the .002 rod bearings came from Hagans with no return due to they are closing the doors on the 23 of this month. This has been in the works since mid Jan. and I would like to complete it before summer is over! Good thing I don't drink!!

Sniper, good info. For the 2.062 rod the manual calls for .0005 - .0015, Mahle says .0025 is acceptable for a 2.00" diameter shaft. At this point, I will go back to std. bearings and be happy with .003 clearance. The mains at 2.5" diameter should be OK with .003 clearance also.

Update: I am beyond frustrated!! Installed main bearings w/ plastigauge, torgue to 80#, shows .001 clearance, removed crank, installed #6 rod with plastigauge, shows .001 clearance, feeling good. Install crank with prelube on bearings, no rear main seal at this time, torque to 80#, can't turn crank at flywhhel end with a 30" bar!!! Remove crank, install #6 rod with prelube, torgue to 45#, can't spin rod on crank!!! Machine shop had measured to determine I needed .002 under bearings. I am ready to say the heck with it and put the old bearings back in OR send it back to machine shop and say just do what needs to be done. I thought this would be a relaxing enjoyable project that started back in Jan., but it is getting annoying. Sorry for the rant. PS my manual states .0005 - .0015 clearance, could this be wrong?

Update: just talked to machine shop, says to go .002 under on rods and mains. Ordered mains from AB, got the last set of rod bearings from Hagen.(closing the doors on the 23rd, so sad!) Fingers crossed.

It was fresh. I will call the shop tomorrow.

Sniper, I cut it.

Thank you for the info.

Make sure you use O gauge cables at battery and starter relay to starter.

Thanks guys for all the replies, I will call the machine shop on Mon. and see if he can help me out with the measurements.

I would be very hesitant to perform this measurement as described in my manual on a freshly polished crank in fear of marking the crank and/or bearing. As far as plastigauge, I'm sure it wasn't around back then, but .0005 clearance is the same in a 1952 or a 2022 engine I would think, but again, this is my first vintage engine. The rings are cast iron.

My crank is right on specs- mains 2.50, rods 2.062. There are no indicator marks on the middle throw of the crank to signify anything other than std size from factory.(maybe the guy in charge of that forgot!!!) Where did you source your bearings from?

Sealed Power brand

I install the plastigauge(sealed power brand) torque main caps to 85# and rod caps to 45#. The main bearings were sealed in shrink wrap and looked perfect, the rod bearings looked like they were dropped in the ocean and stomped on!!! I can measure the crank = mains 2.50 and rods 2.062 just what the manual calls for. We're talking .0005-.0015 clearance, unfortunately I don't have a gauge to measure ID accurately. Will call machine shop Mon. to see if he will take some measurements.

Just got my engine back from machine shop, bored .020 over, crank polished, block cleaned, valves and seats refaced, head resurfaced. Checked the crank, main journals measure 2.50(on spec), rod journals measure 2.062(on spec). Using green plastigauge (.001-.003) I have .003 clearance on mains and rods, specs are .0005-.0015. There are no indications on the crank center throw to indicate other than std. bearings are required. What to do??? On another note, I checked my ring end gaps = .005, specs are .010-.020, looks like some filing is needed!!! Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Love my 6v pos ground alternator from Bill Howard Enterprises!!!

Beautiful ride. I'm so jealous, my engine is still at the machine shop!!!!(since 1-18)

My 52 holds 2 1/4 pts. I use the 90wt