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I am building the 216 for my 40 Chevy 1 1/2 ton. I had the rods machined for inserts. I found mains and rod inserts from Chevs of the 40s as I was turning up nothing on the internet. I have Clevite part numbers and TRW. The bearings I received today are labeled Rebuilders Choice from Taiwan. Has anyone used these? Are they good for more than five miles?

Thank you,

Harmon

I've never heard of that brand. The conversion bearings from Federal-Mogul are part number 1415SB 10, and the corresponding TRW part number is CB 503B-10. A friend who has been doing my crankshaft regrinding for a lot of years claims that the supply of US-made conversion bearings in .020" undersize has completely dried up. He can still get 10 and 30 under rod bearings, but no 20's.

One work-around for the scarce and extremely expensive conversion bearings is to use a rod bearing for a 3-cylinder Perkins Diesel and bore the rods to fit, and then grind the crankshaft to fit the bearings. The Federal part number for that bearing is 2015 CPA. The crankshaft journal size is 2.2485"-2.2490", and the rod bore size is 2.3950"-2.3955". The crank journal size is .060" smaller than a standard stovebolt rod journal, so a "worn out" .030" undersize shaft can be salvaged by grinding it to fit the smaller bearings. Also, the Perkins rod bearings cost about $6.00 each!
Jerry

Thanks Jerry,

The guy that cut my rods uses the CB 503B-10, 20, 30. Even my mains are from Rebuilders Choice. This is what Chevs of the 40 sells. I did not think to ask them who made them. Oh well. I will have my builder look at them.

Oh well. They look ok. We will see. I guess Chevs of the 40s is getting them from the supplier as there is no other place. The UPS label reads Kanter Auto. Maybe Egge and Kanter are providing these now.

Harmon

I have a couple of fixtures to position rods on the carriage of my lathe and do the rough boring for replaceable bearings with a micrometer boring head mounted in the lathe spindle, and then do the finish honing on my Sunnen connecting rod honing machine. Once the setup for a specific rod is accomplished, I can go through a set of six in a couple of hours. I'm also using that same fixture to rebore some NASCAR H-beam rods for a bearing for a Nissan engine that will work on the 250+ cubic inch "216" I'm building with a 235 crankshaft and full-pressure oiling.
Jerry

That sounds like a neat project. It's always good to hear from you.

Harmon

There's also a 231 cubic inch version of that engine in the works that uses 292 connecting rods, a "Corvette" cam, aluminum pistons, and pressure-lubed connecting rods. Both engines look like completely original 216's from the outside.
Jerry