Pics of more rod bearings I destroyed

[mountainexplorer]

Well, part of my Christmas Eve was finally getting a 396 moved from the driveway to the garage and onto a stand.

In September I pulled it out after hearing what sounded like a bearing spinning. Here's what I found. Some "interlocking" bearings.

 

[mountainexplorer]

And a few more pics

 

[mofugly13]

Hey, I have an EXACT matching set that came out of my 327. Should I try to re-use them?

 

[mountainexplorer]

Yeah, I think that you just have to use a dab more assembly lube when you re-use them.

 

[jmd4x4]

Ya I think you could use those again w/ a little more lube this time. If nothing else you could regrind your ckrank and not have to get new bearings.

later
jmd

 

[6.2puller]

My brother had that happen in a 2.8 V6 in a S10. He needed to get it running fast and didn't care too much how long it lasted so he threw in a .030 oversize rod bearing and buttoned it up while still in the truck (thats another story in itself if you know S10 frames) He came over and told me the story and what he did. I told him that will never work. He points out in my driveway and there is his truck. He put a couple thousand miles on it that way, I couldn't believe it .

Now I am not suggesting you try that with your big block but if you are ever screwing around with a piece of junk like a 2.8......

 

[mountainexplorer]

I think this motor will go back together right. I want it to last like the other 396 that I had. This one I hit about 6400 RPMs 2 weekends in a row and that was it.

I think whoever "rebuilt" it last didn't recondition rods, and just put rings and bearings in it. Everything else seems to be good except for #6 and #5 rob bearings, so I'll have the crank checked, rods reconditioned, new bearings and add a gear drive while it's apart, new gaskets and hopefully it will last me as long as the other 396 did.

 

[rumbly truck]

Most of the time, stacked bearings are the result of bad mechanical fit. The big end of the rod was probabaly out of spec. Too big to interlock the shells location. That sucks but, beats a ventillated block.

 

[mountainexplorer]

I know it was a pain pulling the two rod caps off. Pretty much had to pry and force them up and off the road and rod bolts.

All I know is that the motor "supposedly" had 2000 miles on it when I got the truck, and I ran it like this http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1235276705716267925&q=%22Harrington+Mud+Bog+2005%22+playable%3Atrue quite a few times.

The other 396 I had lasted for years towing, mud racing, having nitrous run on it, being daily driven at times, and just plain ran hard in two trucks before it finally started smoking (rings). But it never knocked or made a noise and it hit over 6500 many times over the years.

I know that this one obviousely wasn't assembled or built with the same care.

 

[rumbly truck]

A chevy sbc, bbc, that is put togather right, will last a good long time. Even if you are pounding on it. Do you run a rev limiter? Or are you just winging it. You should run something to protect the engine, in case of driveline failure. Better becarefull, anyform of motorsports that gets into your blood will never leave. By the way, with the high standards you keep , you need to look for a wife at the church of your choosing. Way to go on your standards, it something you will never regret doing. Merry Christmas

 

[Ryan B.]

Damn dude. always blowing stuff up huh? That stepside sounded healthy in the videos! no wonder it started knocking after that day.
Hows that 454 lasting that you put a new crank and bearings in, at the mud drags last year? That is still one of my favorite threads.. making a few phone calls and rebuilding it in the pits.

 

[beater_k20]

i've seen it happen twice. once was the 350 i blew up in high school... blew the trans (wouldnt upshift) decided to limp it home, as i had a fresh trans waiting. made it to the end of the driveway and it died just seconds after the lower core of the radiator let go. left it sit for a few hours, went out and fired it up to pull it in the garage in attempt to pull an overnight trans and radiator swap, and when i fired it up, made it halfway up the driveway and it started knocking.

the second is the 2.4 Twin Cam that i'll be installing back in my Grand Am next week. i dont know how or when my sister did it. neither case did the engine stop running because of it, just made a hell of a noise.

 

[mountainexplorer]

Hows that 454 lasting that you put a new crank and bearings in, at the mud drags last year?

Haha... well that lasted a week, mainly cause I was away from the truck and unable to run it for 4 days. Didn't help that there was water and dust and dirt and crap falling into it as I was putting bearings in... or that all I did was torque everything down the same and that's it.

Then after only 20 min. of run time I think I hit 6-6500 with that one again, but I had to do something to show all the people that were watching and saw the whole motor ordeal that it RAN. A week later I was real hard on it again just before the mud races at my place, and then as I was going to line up, it felt like it didn't want to run so I just shut it down.

Spun rod bearings.