The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 216 rebuild question

I am considering re building a 216. Is there a replacement or different connecting rod available today for the original babbitt rods?

I did this once back in the 70's and easily found some rods. What is out there today? Any kind of economical swap?

you can get them machined for insert bearings.

If using an insert bearing in them is your concern then any
decent automotive machine shop should have the capability
of reworking them to accept a bearing shell. That was and
is a very common modification to the stock Babbitted rods.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Most of the on line vendors have rods that have already been machined to accept inserts. I got mine from Kanter.

Getting the bearings for the machined rods can be a little challenging, especially if you happen to need them in .020" undersize. They are available in .010 and .030 under, but the supply of 20's has just about dried up. Rod bearings for a Perkins Diesel engine used in a lot of models of Massey-Ferguson tractors will work if you drill a couple of holes in the bearings to align with the dipper hole and spit hole in the rods. There's also a couple of John Deere bearings that can be adapted to the 216 rod.
Jerry

Not intending to hijack the thread, but the .010" undersize for the converted rods are about $28 - $30/rod.
Are the Perkins or John Deere bearings less expensive?
If so, can you provide more details for ordering them? (engine, years of use, etc.)?


Thanks,

Bill

Yes, the Perkins bearings are much less expensive. The Federal-Mogul part number is 2015 CPA. They fit Perkins 6 cylinder engines from 288 to 305 cubic inches, with a standard crankshaft size of 2.2485"-2.2490" They are available in Std., .010", .020", .030" undersizes. The bearing OD, which would correspond to the diameter the rods would need to be machined, is 2.3950"-2.3955" It would be necessary to machine a center groove and a couple of oil holes in the Perkins bearing, but any machine shop capable of doing the rod boring should have no trouble with that.

Other bearings with similar size ranges are available that fit Oliver tractors, Mazda Diesels, Mack truck engines, Komatsu, and John Deere. Some would require custom-grinding the crankshaft journals to the proper size to fit the bearings.

I'm in the process of designing a boring fixture for my lathe which will allow me to custom-fit 216/235 Babbit rods to these insert bearings.

Edit: Just found a set of 4 2015 CPA rod bearings on Ebay for $22.95.

Jerry

Thanks for all your comments, have to think about my next move.

Hey Jerry, I haven't tried ordering rod bearings, don't have a
need right now. But just surfing through Federal-Mogul's online
catalog they are still listing .020" under Connecting Rod Bearings
"for Connecting rods that have been machined out to
take an insert."
Sealed Power #1415SB 20, wonder if you can still order them???

DG

My friend who runs a machine shop in Fayetteville Tennessee has done several nationwide searches for 20 under bearings over the past 5 years. No luck, and he's in the business of grinding crankshafts and selling parts, not shoveling fertilizer on an internet chat room. He has had to grind several crankshafts down an extra .010 in order to get rod bearings. Parts vendors lie, just like other people. His experience is precisely why I have been researching alternatives to the dedicated bearings.
Jerry

Jezz Jerry, why in the world do you have to get so obnoxious
every time some one asks a question the isn't exactly in line
with your way of thinking??? As soon as anyone questions even
in a friendly way, or has another view of something, you have
to prove to us that you are the all knowing all time expert
on just about everything. We all know that you are, you don't
have to prove it!!!

It's no wonder people pack their bags and bail out of these
'discussions' when they turn into an abusive rant.
All I asked is, have you ever tried?

This happens all to often, I'm outta here, you can have your
own little empire all to yourself! Hope you enjoy talking
to the wall, it will always agree with you.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I have mentioned the above difficulty my friend has experienced when attempting to find these bearings, repeatedly. People ignore me and keep dragging out the same tired old suggestions. Getting ignored irritates me.

I could pout, whine and delete all my posts. I choose not to do that.
Jerry

Well Jerry, here's some more of the "fertilizer on an internet
chat room" that you so boldly accused me of:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/159630300/original

Think if it were me, I'd look for a new friend to supply me
with .020" under size bearings.

And the "Eaton HO52" rear axle only comes in a 4.10:1 (41-10)
ratio 68-72, the 37-9 was a Dana/Spicer which is a three
piece housing where the Eaton HO52 is a single piece
housing. The illustrations referenced in the links to the
GM Restoration pacs in the other thread, were three piece
housings with the tube pressed and riveted to the center
housing, not Eaton. I bailed because I did not want to be
part of the misinformation that was being presented.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/121488060

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Jezz Denny, I thought you were done with this post... from March 21.

There is always someone in these types of media discussions that doesn't understand the various and completely understandable passions that each side carries. So they try to side with one or the other in some vain attempt to gain favor. It's embarrassing.

Why I come here is because there is a way to resolve all of the BS without much trying even. Rather than depending on friends, or THIS source or THAT source, how about we just stick to the facts in a totally unbiased way? State your sources, the other person states their sources. In doing this normally it reveals that someone is blowing smoke out of their arse, and it all becomes apparent. Research these days isn't a static thing. Google makes it possible for your research to become obsolete THE NEXT DAY!

Nevermind what it has taken 200 years for you to understand, that is all out of the window now because the world has become a much smaller place due to the Internet. Your opinion carries less weight as a super experienced 400 year old as the 20 year old guy who knows how to use Google. Understand it, believe in it, and be humbled by it. How do you matter now? Explain your reasoning in detail saving that information for generations to come.

I try every single day to glean information that will be lost FOREVER because some of our older generation is either leaving us, or forgetting. Rather than Pontificating, and more or less making a total [censored] out of yourself, make this information obtainable thru Google and places that care, like HERE for example. Write down these procedures that matter to you. Make it GOOGLEABLE! Or, just keep yapping to no reasonable end. When you are gone, someone will take your place, maybe several.

If you don't have the GUTS to write How-To Articles for the masses, or at least participate in documenting the history of our craft, please waste our time more! I for one have nothing better to do than listen to years and years of negativity towards any effort to document these things, and give NOBODY anything more than a clue. Congrats, you help the totally clueless. Thats a niche market I suppose, but the minute Mr Clueless learns something, you become insignificant. Join the team of people who actually want people to succeed! What a concept! And you all know darn WELL the people who I am talking about.

What, you see a weak spot and you gotta jump on the negative end
of the band wagon too Tom? No sense and arguing and getting cut
down without something to back up what you think. So yes, I
bailed till I could verify my suspicions. Could I walk down to
the local NAPA and buy the brg? No, but if I'm willing to wait
a few days I can order them. That they are available was the point.

dg

Denny,

No, I didn't even think about a weak spot.
No, not jumping on the negative end.
No, not going to argue.

Not taking sides or
trying to side with one or the other
in some vain attempt to gain favor.

I have no horse in this race.

Just get tired of reading these "discussions"
when they become abusive and
negative and they only whine & pout..

Sorry, didn't mean to offend you.
I guess I should have clicked the "NOTIFY" button,
like I did the other day,
and asked the Moderators if this
childish nonsense is acceptable.

Thank you to the Moderators for taking
swift and corrective action and
for deleting the negative post(s).