"Close, but no seegar"- - - - -The original method of applying the bearing material was a process called "centrifugal casting". The rod was heated to close to the melting point of the bearing material, and molten Babbit metal was sprayed on while the rod was spinning in a rotating fixture. Then it was honed to size. Reconditioned rods were usually tinned, and the bearing material was poured into place, them machined/honed to whatever final diameter was desired. The centri-cast OEM rods have a MUCH harder bearing alloy than most recon rods. Once I machine most of the soft metal away, sometimes it's necessary to adjust my rod-holding fixture to get a true center so the big end hole is located exactly between the rod bolts. The last few thousandths gets honed out so the hole is round, centered, and the bearing gets the right "crush" to hold it firmly in place.
Jerry
