The supply of new old stock conversion insert bearings is drying up. It's already impossible to find .020" undersize conversion bearings, and the price is going up on .010 and .030. Don't even think about finding standard- - - -they're Unobtanium.
The bright spot at the end of the tunnel is that a few other bearings will work, with a little tweaking. Certain sizes of John Deere and Massey-Ferguson tractor rod bearings can be adapted to the Stovebolt rods with a little custom fitting.
If your Babbit rods are in good shape, not severely worn or pitted, adjust them for proper fit and re-use them. With a little Prussian Blue and a sharp scraper, the bearing can be exactly matched to the crankshaft, and shims added to get the correct oil clearance.
If the bearing material is damaged or badly worn, you have a choice of finding proper-size replacement rods or getting them machined for insert bearings. There are still a pretty good supply of reconditioned rods with new Babbit on Ebay, but you'll need to be careful to buy rods sized to match your crankshaft. Some of the prices for recon rods are downright ridiculous! Shop wisely!
Jerry
