Crankshaft 351C

[timachone]

I stripped my Cleveland today and sadly the crankshaft is totally worn out at the position of the first piston rod because of a bearing failure...

Has anyone a good crankshaft out there with standard bearing dimensions and would ship it to me?

Thank you very much,

Tim

 

[judge]

A good machine shop can spray weld it and finish the single journal. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[c9zx]

It is a bit unusual to have one bearing completely fail and have no wear/damage to all the others. The cost of shipping to Europe would be rather expensive. Perhaps you can find a good machine shop and have the crank turned to undersize. If you are in Germany, or close, I have friends I can contact for a machine shop referral. Chuck

 

[4Vforever]

Exactly as what's been said above, to have one big end bearing fail on its own and no other damage throughout the other journals is very unusual, but stranger things have happened. Is the offending journal really that bad or is it scored and looks severely damaged, in either case it can be repaired, as someone said by having it spray welded or has also been said, have it machined. They used to make (don't know if they still do) make bearings to .060 undersized on both main and big end bearings. Another way maybe to down the big ends down to small block chev size. You'll to find a competent machine shop that can do this work. Another way would be to buy a brand new stroker kit from somewhere like Summit or Jegs and have it shipped to you. If you weren't so far away I could help you out with a crank as I have couple laying around, but the shipping would be a killer. Bestof luck with it all.

 

[timachone]

A good machine shop can spray weld it and finish the single journal. Just something to keep in mind.

I will that keep in mind, thanks!

It is a bit unusual to have one bearing completely fail and have no wear/damage to all the others. The cost of shipping to Europe would be rather expensive. Perhaps you can find a good machine shop and have the crank turned to undersize. If you are in Germany, or close, I have friends I can contact for a machine shop referral. Chuck

Hi Chuck,

thank you - perhaps I would refer to your contacts one day!

The bearings are all on their end of living - the first rod bearing had given up first but the others are also worse. It was high time! But for the crankshaft too late - she has shrinked almost elliptical...

Exactly as what's been said above, to have one big end bearing fail on its own and no other damage throughout the other journals is very unusual, but stranger things have happened. Is the offending journal really that bad or is it scored and looks severely damaged, in either case it can be repaired, as someone said by having it spray welded or has also been said, have it machined. They used to make (don't know if they still do) make bearings to .060 undersized on both main and big end bearings. Another way maybe to down the big ends down to small block chev size. You'll to find a competent machine shop that can do this work. Another way would be to buy a brand new stroker kit from somewhere like Summit or Jegs and have it shipped to you. If you weren't so far away I could help you out with a crank as I have couple laying around, but the shipping would be a killer. Bestof luck with it all.

Thank you for you offer! Yes, Australia is also not the next corner - but a continent I would like to see some time before biting the dust...

The worse bearing has shrinked almost elliptical so there is no possible solution except welding.

But fortunately I have another crank in my stock which is not as bad as I thought. I had it stored for my spare 351C from 1970 which has a fresh 0.30 overbore. The crank was obviously freshly machined some time ago too and has 0.020 undersize main bearings and 0.010 rod bearings - I think that's something I can live with

I am happy with that know!

Tim

 

[c9zx]

A good machine shop can spray weld it and finish the single journal. Just something to keep in mind.

I will that keep in mind, thanks!

It is a bit unusual to have one bearing completely fail and have no wear/damage to all the others. The cost of shipping to Europe would be rather expensive. Perhaps you can find a good machine shop and have the crank turned to undersize. If you are in Germany, or close, I have friends I can contact for a machine shop referral. Chuck

Hi Chuck,

thank you - perhaps I would refer to your contacts one day!

The bearings are all on their end of living - the first rod bearing had given up first but the others are also worse. It was high time! But for the crankshaft too late - she has shrinked almost elliptical...

Exactly as what's been said above, to have one big end bearing fail on its own and no other damage throughout the other journals is very unusual, but stranger things have happened. Is the offending journal really that bad or is it scored and looks severely damaged, in either case it can be repaired, as someone said by having it spray welded or has also been said, have it machined. They used to make (don't know if they still do) make bearings to .060 undersized on both main and big end bearings. Another way maybe to down the big ends down to small block chev size. You'll to find a competent machine shop that can do this work. Another way would be to buy a brand new stroker kit from somewhere like Summit or Jegs and have it shipped to you. If you weren't so far away I could help you out with a crank as I have couple laying around, but the shipping would be a killer. Bestof luck with it all.

Thank you for you offer! Yes, Australia is also not the next corner - but a continent I would like to see some time before biting the dust...

The worse bearing has shrinked almost elliptical so there is no possible solution except welding.

But fortunately I have another crank in my stock which is not as bad as I thought. I had it stored for my spare 351C from 1970 which has a fresh 0.30 overbore. The crank was obviously freshly machined some time ago too and has 0.020 undersize main bearings and 0.010 rod bearings - I think that's something I can live with

I am happy with that know!

Tim

Tim, If you are building a new engine you should consider some oiling modifications. Most are not expensive and worth the effort. Here is a link to get you started. http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5650045562/m/172102126

Chuck

 

[timachone]

Hi Chuck,

thank you very much - I was already thinking about some modifications - my buddy with his 428 CJ is in progress doing such things on his engine.

Very interesting article!

Do you recommend all this modifications? Which of them have you tried - also the bushing thing?

Where can I buy fully grooved rod bearings? Summit only have 1/2 and 3/4...

Tim

 

[c9zx]

Hi Chuck,

thank you very much - I was already thinking about some modifications - my buddy with his 428 CJ is in progress doing such things on his engine.

Very interesting article!

Do you recommend all this modifications? Which of them have you tried - also the bushing thing?

Where can I buy fully grooved rod bearings? Summit only have 1/2 and 3/4...

Tim

I have used all of them at one time or another. For mild street use if the lifter bores are in tolerance, I don't use the bushings. Having said that, the bushings are the best approach but a bit pricey. The minimum mods I use are cam bearing restrictors, .125 shim in standard volume pump, good drive rod, front cam bearing set to proper depth, and restricted pushrods. If using a stock oil pan use an extra quart of oil. NO high volume pumps with stock pan. An extra capacity pan is never a bad idea nor is the external oil line.

Chuck

 

[timachone]

Chuck,

thanks for your advice!

I have a Moroso pan with 7 qt. - would you use a high-flow-pump with that?

Would you then recommend a set like these:

http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/mor-22050/overview/make/ford

Thanks,

Tim

 

[MeZapU]

I would not use a high volume pump no matter what pan you would use. The engine requires a different build philosophy if you are going to use one in regards to bearing clearances and oil control.

I made the beginner mistake of using one in my 1st Cleveland build. It caused my engine to have severe wear on the distributor gears (2x of them) and I sheared the distributor gear drive pin on three different occasions. I swapped in a standard volume oil pump and the engine has been great for the past 15k miles. The oil pressure is exactly the same as with the high volume pump and the engine even ran better because the drag was reduced to drive the pump. So in the end, a high volume pump is not needed and is in fact detrimental to street longevity.

That Moroso kit is actually pretty good. The engine that I'm currently building had that set installed. Not sure how many miles were on the main and rod bearings(a few thousand miles at least) and I must admit they looked darn near perfect.

 

[timachone]

I would not use a high volume pump no matter what pan you would use. The engine requires a different build philosophy if you are going to use one in regards to bearing clearances and oil control.

I made the beginner mistake of using one in my 1st Cleveland build. It caused my engine to have severe wear on the distributor gears (2x of them) and I sheared the distributor gear drive pin on three different occasions. I swapped in a standard volume oil pump and the engine has been great for the past 15k miles. The oil pressure is exactly the same as with the high volume pump and the engine even ran better because the drag was reduced to drive the pump. So in the end, a high volume pump is not needed and is in fact detrimental to street longevity.

That Moroso kit is actually pretty good. The engine that I'm currently building had that set installed. Not sure how many miles were on the main and rod bearings(a few thousand miles at least) and I must admit they looked darn near perfect.

Thank you - that helped a lot!

Tim

 

[c9zx]

Restrict all 5 cam bearing, you'll nee to buy two kits. don't use the large diameter restrictor. The restrictor for the front cam bearing is installed deeper than the others. Follow the ford shop manual for setting the depth of the front cam bearing. If the budget permits, install the bushings. Chuck

 

[mjlan]

I have a crankshaft that you can have for the cost of shipping if you are still looking for one....