Tom,

Usually a few thousandths; however there are a number of steps necessary to prep the cap for grinding that cannot be overlooked. Lack of proper prep procedures could very possibly be the source of the inconsistencies in your finished housing diameter.

Bob

Bob, I am going to take it over to him to give him the chance to check it in my presence, just to rule out any inconsistencies in my measurements. However, at this point a lot of things are coming into question in my mind, so I may be shopping for another machine shop here in the Louisville area.

I really hope I can salvage the block for this build, because at this point I have already taken the step to file-fit the rings to the bores.

BTW, is the figure that Clevite gave me on main bearing clearances acceptable? He recommended .0032 across the mains. Seems a little big to me.

Thanks for the help!

I use a dial indicator, that was installed in a flat bar, ground flat, for measuring amount to be removed from cap. I measure the cap before and after, only trying to remove .003" to start with. The cap is prepped so no burrs are present to have it setting flat on the bar. This also insures that cap is true in the cap grinder. This takes time and others may not want to exert the effort. As the saying goes; IT WILL BE OK.

Those numbers are good that clevite gave you. You can usually fix the block one way or another. The problem now is can you trust the machinist to fix it right. I've seen line bore jobs screwed up pretty bad. As in over a .001 diff front to back on the rear main bearing surface. What do you think that might do to the crush....

I'm not off that far! I guess I'll find out when I manage to make time to get the block out there.

I have been reading a lot where many builders like to give about .0005 extra clearance across the rear main bearing. Any thoughts on that?

FWIW, I had plenty of oil pressure with it before, but was running 20W50 conventional oil. Would like to run lighter oil this time, maybe 15W40 to try to save wear and tear on the dist gear.

Yes, you do need an extra .0005" at #5 due to the width of the journal. I would give you clearances; I use for specific applications But; it leaves an open door for everyone to argue the issue with.
Your distributor gear in not going to wear out, using 20W50 or if you used 50W, High oil pressure will fail that along with the improper material difference between the cam and gear material. The other issue is; you must insure the distributor gear is centered on the cam gear. either machine the difference to lower it off the flange of the dist. housing hold down flange, if enough material remaining to secure it or buy a slip collar and machine the flange off and set it to the proper height. This works the other way using a thin or thick gasket, I would not stack gaskets, most likely your deck height and cylinder heads are not going to grow, unless you already decked the block or machined the intake flanges.
With the bearing and cam issues you have encountered with this project, did you install new rod bolts and resize the rods along with the rest of the build?
Make sure the galley oil plugs behind the cam gear, have oil holes in the 2 galleys for the lifters .040" to be exact.
Good luck on this, I hope all works out for you, I have seen alot of questions post by you concerning you engine.

[QUOTE=MER Performance;3881862]Yes, you do need an extra .0005" at #5 due to the width of the journal. I would give you clearances; I use for specific applications But; it leaves an open door for everyone to argue the issue with.
QUOTE]

I try to get the .0005 additional on the rear main but never understood why. I totally agree with your not want to open yourself up to debate on what you know works best with clearances. Although I do note a decrease in that type of bickering around here as of late. I also appreciate your approach with me regarding my brain fart above/earlier. You could have taken that as a opportunity to enflame and diiscredit me but you stayed above that. The result is a very informative thread in my $.02.

+ 1

Thanks Mark. The rods (and bolts) were brand new with the previous build - they are Eagle I-beams with ARP cap screw bolts. I never had any spun bearings, and the engine barely had 30 hours on it, so I was really hoping to avoid installing new bolts and resizing the rods. I am going to use a rod bolt stretch gauge to measure stretch on them, and I am also going to measure the big ends to make sure they are within specs. The machine shop did not resize the rods, so there should be no worry about them screwing that up too! ;)

I guess there is the possibility that he king-konged torquing the rod bolts and over-stretched them. Crap, now I am starting to question everything about this build! Catching myself waking up at night worrying about it. :fear:

Tom, If you have issues from one thing on the build, I would always question everything else. It's either done correct within spec. or incorrect out of spec. I have seen many things done of 20 + yrs of business and it gets to the point that it does not surprise you anymore. Never assume that it's correct, check it yourself or go to someone else. If you have lost confidence in your machinist or builder, it's time to move on. There is NO excuse, for incorrect machining practices.
Rod bolts, was a stretch gauge used? If you take a new ARP bolt, lube it and just pull it with a torque wrench, I can guarantee; the stretch will not be maxed, maybe 2-3 cycles. So if that was the case, I would say; they shouldn't be stretched. Eagle, usually starts on the low side. I always, check new rod bolts with a measurement installed, then remeasure them relaxed to see if they stretched the bolts on the low or upper side. Bolts, will measure new .002-.003 difference them, mfg tolerances. Higher end bolts like Carrillo, Oliver 3.5 will be almost same relaxed length.