Babbiting is not something most people would take on at home. The main
bearings and caps are poured separately, I believe. It wouldn't be
impossible to pour both at the same time. Babbit melts somewhere below 900
degrees. According to the Model A people (a friend has one), the babbit to
use is 4X nickel based babbit. Don't use lead based babbit. The con rods are
poured in a way similar to the mains. A mold has to be made up to hold the
babbit in place until it cools. Then the main caps are bolted on and the
block is line bored. Rods are also bored to size. Babbiting is labor
intensive and not very practical. The place that rebuilt my friend's engine
charges the same to pour new babbit or convert to inserts. You are right
about the shimming. I would think the 216 rods and probably the block would
have to be machined to take inserts.
>Can someone briefly explain what exactly the babbitting process involves?
I
>suspect I am not the only one who is a bit confused by the whole concept.
I
>know that babbit is a specific type of metal, and that it is poured, but
>where I get confused, is in what happens after the pouring, or I guess, how
>it is actually poured. I have trouble picturing how a rod and cap can be
>poured, but still be separated to allow these to go around the crank
>journal. Do they join the rod and cap, pour molten metal in the opening,
>then drill it? If so, then how do they separate the two parts? Or do they
>pour the metal in the individual halves, then machine the excess then join
>the two halves and then drill the opening? These are the only ways I can
>think of, but realize that I could be way off.
>
>Also, you mention shimming and unshimming. I assume, you mean that you
>start with a lot of shims (or large(r) shim) and you substract shims (or
>reduce their size) in order to reduce the clearance between rod and cap to
>reduce the diameter of the opening to allow of wear? Am I even close?
>
>I have heard that insert bearings are available for the 216, but if this is
>the case, if I'm reading you correctly, before you can use these, a machine
>shop has to modify the rods?
>
>Anyway, I have wondered about this for some time, but figured now is as
good
>a time as any to show my ignorance.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Rob
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: David G Shier <dshier@rmi.net>
>To: <RobXR250@aol.com>; _Oletrucks <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
>Sent: Friday, July 23, 1999 8:27 AM
>Subject: Re: [oletrucks] 216 engine performance questions
>
>
>> Rob, I have a 50 1/2 ton with a sweet running 216 so we are keeping the
>216 and
>> putting a dual carb Fenton intake and we got new Fenton headers. We are
>not
>> doing this to get more power especially but doing it as a nostalgia trip
>to use
>> in parades, shows and driving around our immediate area.
>>
>> If you were going to get serious with your 216 I would recommend putting
>in
>> insert bearings to replace the babbit bearings as one of the first
things.
>> There are machine shops around the country who have done this many times.
>I
>> would not expect a stock 216 engine to hold up long under serious speed
>> equipment. We grew up driving these in the 50's and had our share of
>continuous
>> engine maintenance involving rod replacement and shimming and unshimming
>of
>> these babbit rods and after the shims were all used up we filed the rod
>caps
>> until finally having to turn the cranks down and rebabbit the rods again.
>>
>> It was a lot of fun when we were young but would not recommend it these
>days. I
>> would call someone like Jim Carter who might know the machine shop to use
>in
>> your area. Here in Southern Colorado the last job I saw was by Bob's
>Machine in
>> Pueblo, Colorado.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Dave Shier
>> www.mtntown.com
>>
>> RobXR250@aol.com wrote:
>>
>> > I have a 50 3100 with a 216 in it. The engine was rebuilt and has maybe
>1500
>> > miles on it. I am wondering what performance upgrades will give me the
>most
>> > bang for the buck. Also how much power will it add to my engine. What
>have
>> > some of you done to your 216's
>> >
>> > Thanks
>> > Rob
>> > oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>>
>> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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