Project "take out 302, put in 306" PICTURES

[Methodical]

If you have not already done so. Check the bearings to make sure they were not boxed incorrectly. It will state the size on the bearings.

 

[95CobraMike]

If you have not already done so. Check the bearings to make sure they were not boxed incorrectly. It will state the size on the bearings.

good pointer, but they are already in and torqued.... i looked at most of them and they were .010 over

 

[bjl95mustang]

Mike, did you palstigage them?

 

[95CobraMike]

Mike, did you palstigage them?

i dont even know what that means..... so probably not

 

[bjl95mustang]

How do you know that the bearing clearances are ok? Places make mistakes on machining, bearings ect. You could have too much bearing clearance on one and not enough on the other.

 

[95CobraMike]

How do you know that the bearing clearances are ok? Places make mistakes on machining, bearings ect. You could have too much bearing clearance on one and not enough on the other.

so to answer my own question for myself............. its kinda like feeler gauges for my crank made out of plastic????

if the bearings were .010 over and the crank was .010 under everything should be fine... right?
i dont understand what you mean about places making mistakes on matching bearings

 

[bjl95mustang]

so to answer my own question for myself............. its kinda like feeler gauges for my crank made out of plastic????

if the bearings were .010 over and the crank was .010 under everything should be fine... right?
i dont understand what you mean about places making mistakes on matching bearings

But how do you know they are exact? How do you know if you have the right crank to bearing play? plastgage is a material you put between the bearings and crank. You tq down the caps then remove the caps and masure with the card they give you.

 

[95CobraMike]

nope i didnt do that

 

[VG30DE]

Nice setup, looks just like a stock 92 down bottom end.... I have the same pistons, same rods too. Only thing I added was the nodular crank and the DSS thingy to make the caps not fall off and spin and stuff.... This is my old motor with the stock pistons and rods. I'm using the same block, main support, and crank as in the pic now, with everything else that I said and whats in my sig. http://207.180.182.174:81/dudley/Mustang/dss.jpg

 

[95CobraMike]

i thought about getting one of those... what do they do and how much are they?

 

[bjl95mustang]

If you don't already have you might want to pickup the Haynes mustang manual or any ford 5.0 engine book and it will tell you how to use the plastigage. It's just my opinion and every engine builder I have talked to has always said at least plastigage the crank and rod bearings. If not you run the risk of having to do it all over really soon. That's at the minimum. Most engine builders use dial gauges ect to check the bearing clearance. And with the blower I think you need to make sure you crank end play is right on with your thrust bearings.

 

[95CobraMike]

i have a manual....i guess ill get er done

 

[1slow95]

I agree you should at least plastigauge the crank and rod bearings. It's kind of a pita, but it's better to find a problem now than after you get the engine back in the car.

I got my plastigauge from Napa. It only cost's a couple dollars.

 

[95CobraMike]

sweet ill go get one then... do i have to take the pistons and crank out to do it?

 

[bjl95mustang]

You will have to get most of the assy lube off of the crank/rod bearings to get a good reading. You will need the color red plastigage.

 

[1slow95]

Nope, you just need to remove the caps, break off a piece of plastigage and place it between the crank and the cap, torque it down, remove the cap and measure the plastigage.

It's a type of clay or something that looks like a string. Mine came in about a 1 foot section. You use the paper that the plastigage comes in to measure it after torqueing down the caps. It's really simple, just a pita because you have to remove and reinstall all the caps several times.

 

[95CobraMike]

i will do it...doesnt sound too bad, plus i want it to be done right... dont really want to do it again

what are they suppose to read? and what if they are off?? then what?

 

[VG30DE]

A main support divides the load between all the main caps instead of just some of them taking a lot of abuse and the other ones just hanging out and not doing much. It also prevents the caps from walking or twisting from an uneven load (clutch drop, powershifting, hard shifting, supercharger load) And it improves the structural integrity of the block by spreading the load over a larger area and preventing the block from buckling or caving in like it tends to do at high power levels.

 

[a50sn95]

Here's some pictures:
Plastigage

 

[95CobraMike]

thanks guys