The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Rebabbiting a '52 216

Anybody have any experience rebabbiting a 216?

I've repoured babbitts on an old milling machine and a 50# Little Giant power hammer. It was tedious and took a couple tries, but it worked. Call me crazy, but I like that kind of stuff.

Any special issues to look out for? I haven't even cracked the engine open yet, so I don't know what to expect.

I'd like to keep the 216 for the time being at least.

if it aint knockin keep drivin it.

seriously , it may just need a shim or two removed to see another life.

If you are going to have the sump off , consider the bolt modification for the front cover. ( bottom two bolts threaded into the front main cap from the outside, instead of having to remove the sump to get the front cover off for a seal change.)

You are aware of the health issues with the babbit job? of course you are. take care

The babbitt on the later rods, that is 48 up to 53 is extremely thin. I think I remmember it being stated as between .004 and .007". I had my rods machined to take the inserts that can be purchesd for that rod. My rods had dropouts in the babbitt, I think from antifreeze in the oil.

repoured babbits?

health issues?

Nate, ????
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Chevrolet used a special process they called spun babbitt to install the babbitt in the rods.
Just poring babbitt does not seem to allow the babbitt to adhere to the rod as well, and can flakes off easier.
I would recommend machining the rods for inserts.

I have been involved in machining the babbitted rods for insert bearings. We would melt the soft metal out of the rod with a torch, then bore the big end a couple of thousandths under the reccomended diameter in a Bridgeport mill. The final diameter machining was done with a Sunnen rod hone. Yes, the bearing material is very thin, probably less than .030", IIRC. Hand-pouring new Babbit would be a real PITA, unless you machine the groove in the rod deeper first to take a thicker layer of bearing material. The X-shaped groove in the bearing for oiling would have to be hand-cut, also. I'd sugget you bite the bullet and get the rods machined for insert bearings.
Jerry

dg - repoured babbits? health issues?

as in, i have NO idea what it means or what goes into repouring babbit. health issues? what's being poured?

Babbitt; an alloy of tin, lead, copper, and antimony.

I'm sure you guys remember lead is an accumulative poison in the human system.

Heated, the babbitt fumes are not recommended breathing.

I'd be inclined to go the insert route, as others have said, but only if the engine needs pulling down in the first place. My original post still stands.

Let's see. If I checked the score correctly it is inserts 4, repour babbits 0. Repouring the babbits doesn't seem to be a very popular option.

What's involved in the insert route? Are there any other modifications that need to be done to the oiling system if I go with the inserts? Where can I find a machine shop that knows how to do this correctly?

Before I change anything I'll go with Dusty's suggestion and check if there any more shims that can be removed.

When I had mine machined they called it a boring operation. The shop needs to know what they are doing to do it right. The inserts are special for that application and there is no change to the oiling system. You may be able to adjust the rods by removing shims. The main thing is to make sure that the existing babbitt is in good condition.

Machining the rods for the insert bearings is a pretty straightforward operation. It involves getting the rod centered up on either a lathe faceplate or a Bridgeport mill, and opening up the big end to a slightly larger hole. This eliminates the Babbit, and bores the steel rod out big enough for an insert bearing to be fitted. It's also necessary to hand-file a couple of notches for the anti-rotate tabs on the replacement bearings. Nothing changes about the oiling, as the original dipper setup stays put. The bearing is drilled and grooved just like the Babbit-filled rod was, so lubrication stays the same. From the outside, it's impossible to see the modification. You'd have to pull a rod cap to see the new bearing. The bearings are available in undersizes, instead of having to buy a rod with different-diameter babbit if you regrind the crankshaft- - - - -if you can find one! The shop where I worked when I did the modification just closed down, so I can't reccomend anyone now!
Jerry

The entire population of the world has been exposed to lead for most of their life and we are not all-walking around as zombies or blithering idiots. If you don't eat it for lunch every day of feed a steady diet of it to your kids, I can't believe there is any long-term effect on the average person.
I know thousands of people from plumbers to electronic techs that have soldered all day long for their whole adult life and only a few ended up as idiots, but then again, they would probably been ended up as idiots even without the lead solder. Just because they feed rats in a lab with a steady highly concentrated diet of lead and they developed brain failure does not mean that moderate exposure is going to kill you. This is another example where the EPA has introduced paranoia into our society where common sense should apply.
DG

All to true Denny........common sense is not to common anymore. I remember reading an article that stated most gas pump jockeys from years past were over exposed to lead and could have problems. Just don't consume the stuff as food or drink. Always tried to wash my hands before lunch anyway.

Hank

that's what happened to rainman - charlie babbit, charlie babbit

and when you consider how many people have, and for how long, been drinking water from their 50/50 soldered copper pipes.....
it's like the mercury in your fillings scare that had people running to the dentist to have them replaced
the next scare will be - swallowing small amounts of spit over a long period of time causes cancer