Quick question - when plastigauging main/rod bearings, do you need half a bearing to be installed? I was under the impression that NO bearings should be in. But I'm thinking that if no bearings are in place, when you torque down the caps it won't be enough pressure to accurately squish the plastigauge.

Any help we be awsome.

 

What exactly would the plastigauge be squishing against if there is no bearing installed?

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_2142943_use-...learances.html

 

i wiped my cursor across that link just to make sure it didnt say "log out" or "meatspin.com"

it looks kosher. OP, i suggest you check it out.

 

The way I figured, the plastigauge would measure the clearence between the OD of the crank and the ID of the caps. I would figure that would be the most accurate reading.

Then after I gave it some thought, without half the bearing in place - the gap would probably be too big to measure. Damn. Kinda regret trashing my bearings.

A friend of mine tells me that Erick of Erick's Racing used all red bearings, always. That doesnt make sense to me, but I'll have to give it some more thought.

Thanks for the link guys, I'll check that out.

 

LOL...no you didn't...hahahaha. That's a funny noob story for later years if you stay in it.

 

1. You need the bearings you are going to use.

2. You also will want to do an additional "prep" step to avoid a "tight" reading.

 

LOL, I am a bit a noob when it comes to building motors.

Truth is, the previous owner spun a bearing on the #3 rod. And the rest of the bearings were pretty messed up - so I doubt I could have used them anyways.

So with no bearings on hand - what do should I do? Should I buy new Honda standard bearings then plastiguage to see if I'm off? Or should I buy a micrometer to measure the ID & OD then subtract the difference?

 

If you spin a rod bearing you should replace the crank.

 

Absolutely.

OP, you could take the new crank and block to a machine shop and have them measure the OD of the crank and ID of the bearing race. Given you are not a machinist, I doubt you would have the tools with the necessary accuracy to get the job done correctly.

 

umm...why are you using plasti-gage to begin with?? take it to a good machine shop and let them mic and bore gage everything out correctly...plasti-gage is good for cam journal measurements not block bearing clearances...

 

That might be the way to go. I had the block bored out at Golden Eagle, I'll give them a call now and see what they can do.

Earl Laskey used plastigauge and it's recommended in the Acura manual as well. I know there's alot of disagreements on whether it's accurate enough, I've heard enough good things about it to trust it. But still, I'll check with a machine shop and see if they can help.

 

Plastigauge is good enough for 90% of the street builds I see on here, and is a good indicator if there is an "oh ****" problem.

 

for stock oem clearances/rebuilding sure why not...but not for any building what so ever...

its just my .02 cents on it i just prefer a more meticulous approach...

 

So i guess he doesnt want to know what the additional step is.

 

Omg

 

Would be nice to know. The more info, the better. Otherwise I'll refer to the acura manual.

 

dude its better if you let somebody that has experience do it for you or work with you.

 

True, but I do want to learn this. But of course I want it done right the first time.

I have built a motor before about 3 years ago. Stock B18b1 with ITR pistons. A simple build but it ran strong. That was easier since the crank matched the block, so I just used the engraved codes to decide which bearings to use. I just relied on the Acura manual and did everything to spec.

This build is a bit more difficult since many of the parts are aftermarket, still would be cool to learn how to do it myself.

 

If you can think of something,besides the most basic of things,you did completely right the very first time you did it let me know.
The best bet you have is to let someone who knows what they are doing show you how to do the work.