Main bearing/babit help
 

ive dissembled my Model A engine. sad to fine it in worse shape than i thought i would fine. here are a few pics of the rear bearing area. whats your opinion on what is my best repair options now?

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

it appears as tho the Babbitt is coming apart . how many miles ? if the rear is like that , what does the center look like ? I think rebuilding is next ........

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

What was the reason for taking the engine apart?

Was it just to check things out, or was there a specific problem?

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

just checking things out i have never had the engine running. i was hoping to dissemble and clean and reassemble but now im not sure what to do.

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

I see you still have some shims in the rear bearing. IMO: If you are just going to drive it a few times each summer, you could probably put it back together adjusting the clearances as you do and it would likely last a couple to many years if you keep the RPM's down. I suggest you study the rest of the components to see if they are worthy of reassembly or need attention. (As commented above...what condition is the center main in?)

Good Day!

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

The first consideration is if the crankshaft is usable in its present condition. If the journals are not all smooth and perfectly round, then it needs to be reground. The cost of getting a crank ground is a lot less than a new babbitt job, and a bad crank will soon destroy the best babbitt there is.

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

Maybe I'm missing something, but, I'm with Dave.

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

ok im feeling a little better now. i was thinking i was headed for $$$$ with no other options. the center main bearings are much better than the rear bearing.yes i will only be driving limited amouts

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

I also agree with Dave. Chances are the babbit in my temporary Phaeton engine looks worse than your's, and I'm still driving it.

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

And if you have the crank reground, you will for sure need to have the babbitt redone!

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

Im not an expert by any means. I had a similar thread a few weeks ago. The babbit on the rear main was cracked like yours except it was on the cap...and it was missing the oil drain tube, so i had a severe oil leak AND damaged babbit....scared the crap out of me. I took the advice of James and adjusted the clearance on the mains using the foil method and put it back together. So far so good, and no oil leak.

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

Here is the link.
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126563


Paul

Re: Main bearing/babit help
 

After refurbishing two marginal engines and driving them for years (a couple thousand miles) I can also say that if you can get the proper clearance, you are probably OK. This is especially true if you're not planning on any long distance interstate tours.

My patch together engines have actually laster longer than one that I had "professionally" rebuilt.