<VV> Do I have crank problems ?

[Charles Lee]

Yes, Jim, this is certainly an "academic" experience all around ...

If my bearings are original, and I replace one with a tighter undersize
bearing, do I need to do them all on, on both sides ?

In other words, if some bearings look OK, can I leave them alone ?

I wouldn't mind doing the job again when they fail, and now that I know how
to do it, I wouldn't even mind the "practice" doing it again, and maybe
going "deeper" next time, to do a better, more thorough job, once I get to
actually drive this car !!!!

I'm not trying to be cheap about it, even though this car has cost about
$300 per mile so far !  Still love my Corvair, and as I said, it's an
"academic" experience, and if think education is cheap at any price (as long
as I can afford the "tuition" that is !)

Thanks again,
Charlie

www.yourbuyersinn.com/Cars/Corvair/1967MonzaCylinderWallPix.htm

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Davis" <jld at wk.net>

> Generally the bearings will have groves if the crank surface is damaged.
> I usually scrape a fingernail across the crank surface to check for
> groves.  If your nail can feel a grove it is probably ok.   You need to
> mike the crank for the size of replacement bearings you need.  The rods
> journals wear in an oval fashion.  That is the journals wear where the
> load is the greatest during the power stroke of the engine where the
> piston is near TDC.   If they are worn more than 0.0006" out of round you
> should have the crank reground.   The bearings you show have wear due to
> lack of lubrication, most likely from cold startup and contaminated oil.
> Main bearing journals generally wear completely round, so they probably
> don't need regrinding, if they aren't grooved or worn so badly that
> undersize bearings won't bring the clearances back to within
> specifications.
>
> Now you are finding out why a good rebuild Corvair engine cost over
> $3,000.
> Jim Davis