I have been following this discussion carefully as I am at this point in a stock rebuild also. It is very obvious that there are several points of view on this subject especially concerning the depth that the first cam bearing is set at form the block surface. I happen to have a virgin block that has not been reworked at all. I measured the depth of that bearing to be .060" down and the oil hole is clearly visible. I have no doubt that this is from the factory, given the overall condition of this block and it's known history. There is only one other scenario and that is that the bearing actually shifted over time............, but this is highly unlikely. Just thought I'd throw that into the mix!!
Since the factory spec is in fact .003" to .005", this simply proves that errors were made . Keep in mind that this process was done by hand often by workers whom might have had a few too many beverages the night before . These workers are human beings not robots, therefore they are fallible . Also, the quality control inspectors do not inspect the installation of every part . They occasionally come buy and check the parts, and because of this, some things like the bearing being installed deeper than the spec calls for can and does occur.
PS. Just for the heck of it, I just Googled 351C cam bearing location and there was "images of 351C cam bearings" Some are as original by the looks of it and some are modified. Point is most are at least 60 thou. in as is on my block.
Well the fact is that this is still much deeper than the factory spec and even deeper than the spec given by Tom Monroe in his book which is .015" deeper than the factory spec and it comes down to this, just because someone else did it wrong, even if it was done at the factory, it is no reason to copy their mistake.
We even have lemon laws and recalls of hundreds of thousands of vehicles now do to incorrectly designed parts etc, so this is further proof that just because it was done at the factory, it doesn't mean it was done correctly.
While I'm at it, I find it both confusing and disheartening that certain 'adults' continue to bicker about who's right and who's wrong on this forum. Like most of us, I have a relatively good level of intelligence and as such I'm reasonably able to figure out what information is valuable and what is not, or at least what I should further investigate. I for one, would greatly appreciate getting FACTS rather than childish bickering....... can we all get along and do that???
Nuff said, I have gained from this post, so thanks to all for that.
I couldn't agree more, and I am a fact based person which you can see from my posts and I feel compelled to correct inaccurate info when I know it is inaccurate or not completely accurate . I also try to separate my opinions from empirical facts which some people don't do, and imo, posting opinions in a way that they can be misconstrued as empirical facts is a disservice to everyone reading them if in fact they are wrong because some people whom are trying to learn because they aren't familiar with a particular subject might take them as Gospel and possibly even damage their engine because of what they read.
I will also add that I received a pm from a moderator regarding this very issue in which he applauded me for not replying to others taunting and attempts to discredit me by trying to get me to say where I worked or what service manuals I have contributed to etc, and in fact, if I did this, it might embarrass some of these people which is not my intent . None of these forums require proof of an engineering degree etc to join and in my experience, there are many people whom are basically self taught whom have learned from years of hands on experience whose opinions are extremely valuable and helpful . As far as I am concerned, I am quite happy if I post something that is incorrect or vague and someone else corrects, or clarifies it because in my job, the truth/facts are all that matter and I prefer to learn new things as opposed to not.
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