Cascade Crew

chevymad · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 6:16 pm Post subject: The SAGA continues

As most of you know, I recently had a comp cam go flat in my pickup requiring a complete overhaul. Bought all new bearings/rings etc, and a voodoo bumpstick of the same size as the comp.. bit more lift. Well, I fired it up a couple weeks ago. Sounded good.. but then the oil pressure went away. Cold I had 100psi!!! But after 2miles of driving it was down to 20psi unless you revved it. CRAP@!

I was fed up with it, so I left it sitting for a week. Last night I finally got the motor out and started lookin it over. I was figuring it was a bad pump, but really don't see much wrong with it. Didn't have any plastigauge so I left the bearings till tonight..

Tonight I start plastiguaging rod bearings.. they all look like brand new.. like they've never even been installed. Plastigauge checks out at 0.0015. Perfect.. on to the mains.....

Start with the #1 main. Bearing looks good, couple real small scratches from debris. Plastigauge says.... crap it didnt even crush. So I try again. Same thing. I try main #2, same deal. I take the bearings out.. look at the size 010 . I'm sure thats what my crank is.. it's even marked 010/010 on a counterbalance. I dig in the trash and come up with an old shell. Yup 0.010. I don't have a good caliper or mic so I grab an el cheapy.. even with that I can tell the old worn shell is thicker then the new one. Looks like sealed power sent me a mismarked set of main bearings!!! Shocked

This is the FIRST time I ever installed new bearings without plastigauging everything. I figured I knew the machine work on the crank was good allready. That's the most likely thing to be screwed up in a rebuild. Never figured the bearings would be sized wrong.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 6:27 pm Post subject:

Quasi-Traction · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 6:53 pm Post subject:

oooh geez......

I was pricing out stuff for the rebuild on my beat 350 and I had the SP bearings in mind....I'll be sure to double check if I buy em!

You've had some nasty luck with that thing so far....hope things improve.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 7:26 pm Post subject:

That's just one thing to bang into everyone's heads. Even when you think it's right, double check even what you purchased!

Schultzy89GTA · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject:

Ack!

Sorry to hear that Brandon. At least you recognized that things weren't right and pulled it again before worse 'badness' happened.

-Schultzy

83Z28BlackBetty · Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:06 am Post subject:

damn, good call on checking everything before it got too bad!

~JAKE

chevymad · Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 5:14 pm Post subject:

Lesson here.. double check everything. I took an old shell and new one into work today and mic'd them... no difference. The bearing shell is indeed an 0.010.. So I borrow the mic's and come home to measure the crank.. got a nifty little gauge you can use to measure a crank without removing it from the motor. Crank reads 2.44" which is actually the tight side of an 0.010 journal. Hmmm..

So I decide to roll the upper shell out and I'll roll the old bearings back in and check the clearance on them.

I get the new upper shell out, look it over.. There's the problem!!!! They're marked STD!! Seems Federal Mogul sent me a bearing set with std upper bearings and 010 lowers = 0.008 in clearance. LOL. I did check the bearing size when I installed. But evidently I only ever looked at the lower halves. Embarassed

Twilightoptics · Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:06 am Post subject:

chevymad · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:05 pm Post subject:

Well looks like its finally all together. Got another set of bearings and the clearances are good. Another interesting deal, the rear main bearing, both halves were 010 like they should be. Only the front 4 upper halves were wrong. I now have 65psi cruisin at 1300rpm/60mph HOT.. Made a successfull trip to town and back. The voodoo cam has an interesting exhaust bark. Alot different sound then the comp xe. It also seems to be alot torquier. Very easy to spin the tires. Wagged the tail a bit gettin out on the highway. Then upon returning home I backed into the burnoff area and let em spin.. Parked in my parking spot, and who would you guess was the next car on the road.. Howdy mr officer! lol.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 10:48 pm Post subject:

Hehe Just drop by to see what the Skamokawa Speed Shop was up to?>

chevymad · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:20 pm Post subject:

I love my truck! Very Happy

Coming out of town peeling through second while sliding sideways sawing away at the steering wheel, is what life is all about!! Jen said it was "impressive" (not in a good way).. I say "ya... but it sure was fun!" Very Happy

Sloppin the rig into the corners is pretty fun as well. Not bad for a 37 year old piece of iron.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:37 pm Post subject:

You rock man! There just isn't anything else that can be said.

Schultzy89GTA · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:42 pm Post subject:

Life is good.

-Schultzy

rjmcgee · The Hammer Joined: 08 Jan 2004 Posts: 2328

Right on!!

Very Happy

Xophertony · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 10:01 pm Post subject:

tp paraphrase the hammer, it's nice when a plan comes together. Smile