ls1nova

As some of you guys know I'm rebuilding one of my 502s. It had some crap run through the bearings and the #2 main had some babit showing. This shortblock was just built last winter (by someone else). So this time I'm tackling it myself. It had Clevite P series bearing in it. What do you guys suggest I use for bearings? Clevite "P" or "H" or should I use ACL or speedpro??

Some info on the engine
gen-6 502 mag stock bottom end
AFR 315 heads
Crane 741 cam on 114 with 8.1 firing order

Thanks for the input.
Frank

acaruso

i have used both & hade great results with both (check the crank)it might be bentASE Master techwith L1

Linster

Use the P Series. What kind of crap did it have in it? The bearing my have come apart, & that was the debris ( Not Likely). Were the other bearings worn or full of debris? Make sure the main caps were in the right position. Has the crank been turned? Make sure you wash the block well. Wipe down the back side of the bearing

Raylar

Raylar has been using the "Alumina Series" bearings in our engines for over 5 years with fantastic results. These bearings will run and run and run! Provided you do the proper work to the block , crankshaft, rods and clearances to begin with!
To really do a marine performance block correctly you must align bore or align hone the mainline on the block and then square the deck surfaces to the exact centerline of the new mainline. You must also carefully rework and resize pin and rod bores and lengths and square the rods to get a proper fit to the crankshaft with the proper bearing clearances.
The crankshaft needs to be magged, measured and indexed and carefully ground to the correct dimensions and then properly polished and deburred, with the crankshaft grinding and polishing done on really good machines.
The entire rotating assembly needs to be carefully and exactly and properly balanced , again on good machines.
Then the assembly must be done in a clean room type enviroment with multiple assembly to check and measure all dimensions, clearances and finish torque values , with paricular attention to the bearing clearances and establishing uniformity.

If these type of procedures are followed a very durable, long lived "Alumina" bearing or H-Tri-metal bearing supported rotating assembly can be created.
Couple this with a very clean block and passages, a good oil pump and oil filter and oil cooling assemblies and you should see great life and results out of your bearings.

The PROBLEM is that very few engine and machine shops that dable in marine performance engine builds have the good equipment or follow these exacting standards and procedures and a lot of custmers want a "Cheap, Beer Budget Job" and they get just what they paid For!

Lets face it, if you are going to see good results with your marine performance engine, your parts and rework are going to have to be done by very "marine performance engine knowledgable" persons with only the best equipment, procedures and parts.
Use something less than these methods and you will either be either Somewhat to Very Lucky or constantly Struggling to place a reliable, long lived Marine Performance Engine in your Boat!
There really is a REASON that quality marine engines from quality Marine Engine builders tend to run trouble free out of the shop. Its beacuse they know what must be and how it must be done.
Make it easy on yourselves! When you need BRAIN SURGERY go to a Brain Surgeon and when you need Dentistry go to a Dentist! And last but certainly not least, when you need a proper Marine High Performance engine go to a quality Marine Engine shop and DON'T Buy Your Engines Twice!!
Old saying says- "Advice, the Wise Man Don't Need IT and the FOOL Won't Heed IT!"

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

Vinny P

Ray,

I have been using Calico bearings with great results. What do you think of them?

blue thunder

Is this the engine that had the rocker arm failures Frank? You definately need to get the blocks hot tanked!

BT

ezstriper

more than likely if you had something go thru the bearings and the engines were not that old, was from not getting the block clean from last time, all plugs need to come out tanked, washed, gallys cleaned with block brushes. I have a the same thing happen on my boat when I bought...they just had done the engine did not clean the block, crap clogged the rear main in the crank....was not pretty after that ! Rob

ls1nova

Thanks for the feedback everybody. Getting the block cleaned out is a high priority! I don't want to be doing this crap again. I haven't found any deposits or accumilation of debris so far, just some minor speckles in the bottom of the pan. Looks like my filter got the majority of it.

I agree with you Rob. I think it was not cleaned properly during the original build. And the reason I think that is because he had to have the crank turned .010 because so much trash ran through the motor. I'm guessing the trash free'd up once I got the oil good and hot then it ran through the motor. Oh, well, I'm just glad I caught it in the winter and not the middle of summer! I found this by cutting the oil filter open, so needless to say I'll be doing that on every oil change!


Ray, thank you for the write up! Very good info from a great source!

Frank

Raylar

Ls1nova:

Sorry you had some misfortune on your latest engine build. I hope your repairs and redo are very successful and you have a great boating season ahead!
I sometimes get a little carried away in my rants and posts and I did not mean to bash on those who try and build their own motors, obviously many do their own and are quite successful at it. I just wanted to stress the point that marine high performance engines are EXPENSIVE and tricky animals to GET Right! The basic procedures I outlined were meant as a bit of information and education in what it takes many times to Get these engines Right the first time.
As we can see here in this case that possible cleaning procedures and care led to problem that is expensive and time consuming to repair. I know a lot of OSO'ers want to have go at their hobby of trying to get their engines redone locally or done with off the shelf parts themselves, but in a great many cases this leads to problems and expensive lessons.
The real cost of crating up an engine and shipping it back and forth to a quality marine high performance shop is not nearly as great as it may seem to some and the monies, time lost and frustrations of having a BAD job is much greater and just plain sad and wasteful!
I would no more pick up a scalpel and do brain surgery or try and pour concrete and properly finish it than a man in the moon!
This is the real reason each of you needs to do a careful self realization of how good you really are as a marine performance engine builder or how well your local engine machine or rebuild shop can do it successfully time after time and whether their equipment, machines, and procedures and techniques are up to the real task of turning out a reliable top performing marine performance engine.
Also be honest and take the time to set a realistic budget for your engine upgrade or rebuild projects as even in these tough times you are not going to get the proper quality engine for CHEAP dollars!
I always hope that my comments here will help all OSO'ers and all performance boaters learn how to achive their performance goals with the minimum of hassle, frustration, expense and shot season and vacation plans because of an engine problem that could have been avoided.

Vinny P
Almost all the performance engine bearing sets in the market including Calico can deliver excellent service in performance engines. The DEVIL is obvously always in the details!
A rotating assembly, especially in a marine high performance engine including the bearings is only as good as the proper work and assembly that goes into getting them RIGHT in the engine! Any great bearing will become junk in a bad BUILD!

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

1BIGJIM

Don't forget to replace the oil cooler, I even go as far to replace the hoses.
I also tank the block and clean it twice to make sure you get everything out of it.