splasher engine- lesson -Babbitt bearings

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  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    skipster wrote:
    akcoop wrote:
    Before you spend that kind of money, I would check out Paul's Rod and Bearing in Kansas City. You can find them on the web. You can send your bearing to them. Russ (current owner) did a great job on my bearings. I visited his shop and they are the real deal. $400 for mains, $800 for 6 rods for a total of $1200. I will have it line bored locally for $250. Not bad for a 1917 Hudson engine. Call them at 816-587-4747.
    Terry Harkin at Harkin machine is highly reccomended and significantly cheaper.Nice guy too

    Russ at Paul's Rod and Bearings got in touch with me after I emailed several of these shops and this is his pricing--
    85.00 per main x 3 mains= 255.00
    85-110.00 for Rod bearings= 6 x 110.00 = 660.00 max
    I could get it line bored locally. Had a good conversation with Russ about Babbitt quality and such. Says today's babbitt is a lot better quality than old time stuff.
    So, I would pull the crank, have my guy check it to see if it needs turning, give Russ the journal specs and he pours the bearings, then have my guy line bore the block for bearing fit.
    I forgot to ask about cam bearings - are these babbitt also?
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    akcoop wrote:
    My 1917 has bronze inserts for the main and rod bearings. First have the crankshaft ground. They will have the measurement for your mains and rods. Send Pauls Rod and Bearing your mains and rods (assuming inserts in yours as well). Paul's will pour the mains, then pour the rods and finish according to the rod measurements off your crankshaft. Make sure you have your shims (if yours has shims). Russ had also said that the babbitt material today is much better and you could almost replace the shim pack with a single shim if desired. You then have your local shop line bore the mains. You will probably also want to have your crank, rods/pistons, balanced as well. If I missed anything, someone else jump in. Here are my bearings reinstalled. I have not had them line bored.

    Let me make sure I understand this right --
    I send out the complete rods with bearings and the main caps with bearings (1/2 of bearing is pulled from the engine block), or just the inserts that are in the rod and main caps?
  • akcoop
    akcoop Administrator
    I just sent him the Main bronze inserts. He needs the entire rod because he will fit the rods with shims to bolt right to the crank. the Mains will be poured, machined and ready for line boreing.

    Aaron
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    I thought I'd comment on this being as the subject was brought back up.
    I sent the rods and maines to Harkin right after this was discussed and got my machinist to turn the crank and gave Harkin the specs. Don't think I would use Harkin again as the rods and mains were not "center"
    Bored. In other words, there was more Babbitt on one side than the other. They didn't take the time to do it right.
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Kdancy-

    That's a good point you brought up. It pays to be very selective with this type of service. I am pretty much of the mind, you get what you pay for. Is your engine back together and running?

    And let's face it, Hudsons ain't Chevy's. For the money being spent on my engine for the convertible, I COULD get 500 horses, 485 lbs. of torque, 2 more pistons in a Chevy V-8 and get 2 of them! OR get one absolutely outrageous HEMI and have change left over . . . and this is for a 308, not a splasher. It takes a commitment and dedication to the marque and to history to want to go back original. And, it's not cheap. But at the end of the day . . . well, you know the rest.
  • Kdancy
    Kdancy Senior Contributor
    I cranked it up and ran it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Had to install a fuel pressure regulator to limit the line pressure to 2.5 pounds and it seemed to run fine. Will have a better idea when we get it on the road.
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Would like to see pics when you get it on the road. Congratulations!!
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