I buy bunches of rods on Ebay, and so far I haven't been disappointed. I'm stockpiling Babbit rods, about 60 so far, to start converting them to insert bearings when I get the rest of my rod-boring fixtures set up.

I ran the rod reconditioning department of a big machine shop in Nashville for several years, and it was unusual to find a used rod that was not at least a little out of round. We tried to hold our reconditioning tolerances to +/- .0001".

Swapping the problem bearing to another rod is a good idea- - - -if the tight spot moves, you've got an out-of-spec bearing, not a rod problem. I've been known to mix and match individual bearing shells when I was looking for a specific oil clearance number on some of the race engines I've built.
Jerry


"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!