gonzopancho
SILVER Star
Only reason grinding the main journals won’t work is if someone already did it once or twice during the past 48 years. Even if that’s the situation, they have ways to build the journal back, and a F engine isn’t a high-rpm or highly-loaded application.
Talk to your machinist. They’ve seen worse.
While you have it apart, have someone with one of those industrial dishwashers (aka “parts cleaner”) run the block, rods and head through it.
Ask about the pistons before you do so. IDK offhand what the high phosphate detergents they use might do to the aluminum. Might just use a soft brush and solvent there.
In any case, get all the finely ground metal out of it.
My grandfather, (not a religious man) once told me, “when assembling an engine, cleanliness is next to godliness.”
My father (his son), later added, “and at a lot of other times, too.”
EDIT: you’re probably going to want to check the cam and cam bearings as well. If they’re not scored, just run them.
Try to keep the followers (lifters) and pushrods in order.
The clearance on the main journals is
set with shims. You’ll want some Plastigauge and you’ll need a set of feeler gauges to check the thrust bearing clearance once it’s in the block.
Talk to your machinist. They’ve seen worse.
While you have it apart, have someone with one of those industrial dishwashers (aka “parts cleaner”) run the block, rods and head through it.
Ask about the pistons before you do so. IDK offhand what the high phosphate detergents they use might do to the aluminum. Might just use a soft brush and solvent there.
In any case, get all the finely ground metal out of it.
My grandfather, (not a religious man) once told me, “when assembling an engine, cleanliness is next to godliness.”
My father (his son), later added, “and at a lot of other times, too.”
EDIT: you’re probably going to want to check the cam and cam bearings as well. If they’re not scored, just run them.
Try to keep the followers (lifters) and pushrods in order.
The clearance on the main journals is
set with shims. You’ll want some Plastigauge and you’ll need a set of feeler gauges to check the thrust bearing clearance once it’s in the block.
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