The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1947 Fleetline 216 worn rod bearing, best step to take

My 216 was running fine, smooth as a modern engine until it started knocking. A good friend diagnosed a worn rod bearing. Didn't find much shavings in oil. Cylinder 4 had about 1mm play all others were tight but another had a little side to side play. My question is, will I have to have the Crankshaft worked on besides putting new bearings? Also, the bearing was melded pretty good on to the rod. Does an engine shop have to machine those out? Will I have to take the affected piston? Any information on what additional work should be done while I'm at it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all.

My pride and joy im working on 47 fleetline

216 engine, all stock

1MM is almost .040", which is a huge amount of clearance. You probably have a badly worn crankshaft as well. You will need to measure all the connecting rod journals on the crankshaft and compare them to a service manual to see if the crank is standard diameter, or if it has been reground. All 216 rods have the bearing material bonded to the rod, so the complete rod has to be changed, or they need to be bored out for replaceable bearings.

You definitely need to find someone who is very experienced at working on a Babbit-rod engine to check it out- - -your local shade tree mechanic isn't going to have a clue how to do it!
Jerry

Thanks Jerry, this is the first major work I was going to do on my engine. A few friends told me it would be a simple R&R of the bearings, but its starting to look like its going to be out of my reach. I usually want to do the work myself, so I can learn along the way, but this is pretty advanced stuff. Do you suggest any other work I should have done to the pistons while I'm at it? New rings, re bore the cylinders ect.? Thanks again

Yes your engine is a 216 Babbited Rod. The engine experts like HRL will be happy to help with info, however, your vehicle is a car not a truck. Perhaps move this discussion to the Greasy Spoon. Just my opinion, the guys can leave it here if they want.

Regardless of where this thread ends up, you're looking at an "out of the frame" overhaul. Any engine that has a major failure such as your rod knock needs a complete teardown to a bare block and a thorough pressure-wash cleaning. The debris from the failed rod will be all through the oil passages and if it's not completely removed it will be there to trash whatever partial repairs you make.

Don't let anyone try to talk you into an "upgrade" to a later model insert-rod engine. That car is far too nice to modify with a 1954-up 235 engine, even if there would be somewhat of a power gain and a slightly less labor-intensive overhaul. There are still plenty of experienced Babbit-engine mechanics who can do a good rebuild, and parts aren't impossible to find, they're just a little scarce and somewhat expensive.

Does yours still have the vacuum-assisted 3-speed shifter?
Jerry

I don't care what anyone else says. Any vehicle with a 216 in it is a Stovebolt to me!
Sweet ride in as-original condition.
I'm with HRL on this one. Find yourself a 216 guru and fork out the cash to make it like new.
Carl

Hey Jerry, I wasn't considering going to a 235, though they are nice engines, I always intended to keep this one original, especially since I think this is the engine the car came with originally. So your saying I should have a shop do a rebuild? One shop already quoted me $2,500. I don't know if they're experts on stovebolts but its a local shop with allot of experience. I don't think the bearings shed so much material, ive heard from a few friends that said they got knocks, they replaced the bearings and it was fixed. If the shop is going to change the rods to newer type rods that accept modern bearings, I'm sure they can clean the oil galleys at the same time right? Ide save allot of money that way and can put off a full rebuild for down the line. Thanks for everybody's input. This is the first time I have to deal with this work.

P.S My fleetline doesn't have the vacuum assisted shifter. An oldtimer friend of mine said those were hard to power shift, or shift fast from what he remembers, he preferred the manual type shifter. I love this car, so its going to get done right.

Anything less than a total teardown and detail cleaning is really a gamble- - - -would you be interested in playing a little high stakes poker? I'm pretty sure you'd draw to an inside straight! The first thing to do is measure the crankshaft. If it's scored or out of round, bite the bullet and yank the engine out. There are two chances you might get by with a crankshaft cleanup with emery cloth and changing one rod, and those are slim and none!
Jerry

I saw some NOS 216 rods on eBay the other day.

Remanufactured not NOS



http://www.ebay.com/itm/231997769951?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

NOS rods will do no good when the crank is turned.

I fully understand the relationship between crankshaft diameter and rods. There are a lot of " ifs " and don't know in this, but HRL is absolutely correct. Bite the bullet,Pull the engine, rebuild correctly and drive on.

ClassicsR4Me, at this point you need to pull the engine out and sent to the machine shop for a total rebuild.

My son's 46 2 ton with a 235 dropped a valve. I found a machine shop that would be able to convert the engine from babbitt bearings to inserts as part of the rebuild.

We found a 54 235 that we are having rebuilt instead because my son uses this truck for his business, has full pressure oil, more HP and torque, and already being an insert motor will make future repairs easier.

Though we are keeping the original engine this way the truck will still have the ability to be brought back to the original state someday.

Just to comment on the original posting, all the rods should have side play. That is the way they were designed to fit.

That is a beautiful car and the motor is indeed a Stovebolt!

$2500 seems on the low side to me. Make sure you find out exactly how familiar the guy who gave you the quote is with this engine, and what he is actually going to do to it.
Carl

Ill make sure they know what theyre doing, thanks Carl. I though $2,500 was on the high side, I guess time has been passing me by, hehe. What is a regular price for a complete rebuild now a days?

Thanks for the info, I think this local engine shop is going to do a similar job with mine. Ide like to keep it original, the engine had plenty of power to move this classic. No need for 300+ horsepower like modern engines, though its always fun to have. 90 hp is cool.

I'd expect closer to $3K-3,500 for a top quality full rebuild, particularly if the rods are machined to accept insert-type bearings. Replacing the cast iron pistons with lighter weight aluminum ones will also make the rod bearings last a lot longer.
Jerry

That's what we pay around here too, if you can find someone who can do it and isn't so old that they can't see anymore (bless there hearts).

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. Ill post after its done hopefully with pictures.