So, tonight I took care of all of the clearances for the main bearings on my ITR bottom end. My question is when is the best time to plastigauge the rod bearings. It seems as though the block gurdle would be in the way for number 2 and 3 if I were to fully install the crank..... Can anyone let me know the best way to do this??

 

Not that I'm doubting your abilities, but I just had a car come into the shop...

Whoever built the engine forgot the thrust washer/bearings.

Make sure you check and double check with you check your clearences.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by itr1236 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It seems as though the block gurdle would be in the way for number 2 and 3 if I were to fully install the crank..... </TD></TR></TABLE>

well..... if the girdle is in the way..... why don't you get it out of the way.

The real reality, is that plastigauge is fairly useless. It will tell you if you are grossly over/under sized, but not anywhere near as equivalent as when it left the factory. If you clearances are that important to you... either buy the correct tools ($$$), or fnd a trustworthy machine shop.

 

I replaced the main bearings by going with the code stamped on the block and the crank, so those ended up being the same bearing colors that the block originally came with. I checked those twice and they are within spec, and I did put the thrust washer in correctly.

I guess my concern was if there would be any negative effects from just unbolting the gurdle because of the sequence of loosening each bolt a 1/3 of a turn in a certain order. I'm guessing that it would have been easier to install the pistons first.