Real Time Help Needed. Clutch Install. (1 Viewer)

[Mark Jennings]

I think I’d be checking the other main bearing caps for correct torque e.g. NOT almost finger tight…like you found the rear main. Also, if there wasn’t a shim, and that bearing was left loose purposely, then that was probably your RMS oil leak, wasn’t actually the seal, but the gap left between the cap and block. Since the engine rotates freely with that cap off, I think it would be worth it to pull at least one of the other bearing caps and 1) verify the other shims are installed and 2) mic’ out the shim to see what the actual thickness is. I’d also mic’ the main journal(s) on the crank shaft to determine if it is a stock or reground crank shaft. If reground you’ll need the appropriate undersize main bearing.
I think I’d also be polishing up that rear journal….using the shoestring polishing compound method….there are a couple of YouTube videos that cover that….its kind of primitive, but it will at least ‘soften up’ the journal scoring……
Sorry about your rig being OOC for a while, but just be glade you fond the condition now…before something more serious happened. It could be worse, and this is recoverable without an engine pull.

 

[77mustard40]

I agree with @Mark Jennings , do all that you can with the engine in place while the pan is off. Hell you're only 2/3rds of the way through the service life of that motor, polish her up and keep her rolling.

IIRC when I did mine (granted its a 2F) I struggled with the flywheel wanting to rotate when torquing the flywheel bolts after having it machined. Point being that my motor was easy to rotate.

 

[Living in the Past]

Isn't there holes in the outside of the flywheel. I've used 3/8" long socket extensions to rotate the flywheel. Never used a prybar on the teeth of the starter ring.
Believe I mention plastigauge on bearing cap in the other thread. Possible one or two of the shims on the cap got misplaced? When every I pull a bearing cap I always use plastigauge to be sure I'm in spec. That's for either to little or too much clearance in bearing.

 

[Engineer8000]

Man, you have worse luck than me.

 

[Green Bean]

Man, you have worse luck than me.

Yeah, that’s okay though. If it weren’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all. It really makes you appreciate when things go well.

 

[POPO AGIE]

I'm being lazy, but didn't you say in your main 4-speed thread that the bolts to your rear main bearing cap were not fully torqued? I don't want to say lose but not difficult to break free. Now that you torqued them to spec I wonder if there is something up with that bearing?

Edit: I went back an looked at your thread and also looked through my pics from my clutch job a few years ago, unfortunately I didn't take a pic of my bearing cap. That said I'm not sure I like the looks of the cap, here's your pic zoomed in. I'm not an expert but you may want to focus on this before you try to go too far forward. What did that cap feel like to the touch, looks like its starting to fail.

View attachment 3567738

That bearing is wiped and needs to be replaced.

 

[Mark Jennings]

Yeah, that’s okay though. If it weren’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all. It really makes you appreciate when things go well.

You should be swearing at the PO, I cannot believe someone would forget the shims and loosen the rear main and expect a trouble free outcome…..that is true ‘shade tree’, I don’t give a s**t, wrenchin’.