During Wrenchfest we discovered that the connecting rods on John's engine left a lot to be desired, both in the condition of the Babbit bearings, and the fit on the crankshaft. The crank isn't exactly round, either. I've been doing some number crunching in the shop specification catalogs, and it's looking like insert type rod bearings for a Farmall Cub tractor can be adapted to the rods, and the crank can be ground to fit the bearings for the proper clearance. The next time the engine needs to be rebuilt, if ever, it will be a simple matter to just replace rod bearings- - - -not fight with shims and Plastigauge and hope the oil clearance will be right. It also looks like the connecting rod oiling system might be able to be upgraded to resemble the spray tube and dipper system similar to what's on a 216 or a spray oiler 235 without making any modifications that would be visible from the outside.
Jerry
