> As I wait for my cam bearing order to arrive in a package with other TR3A
> engine rebuild parts, I'm wondering about the difficulty of
> putting them in.
Well you may, they're not easy.
> The ones the machine shop removed seem to have a split in them,
> so they are
> compressable. I couldn't remove the originals myself because the fit was
> either too tight, or they were simply froze in place, I don't know which.
The split is because of the manufacturing method, it's crushed tight when
they are installed. They fit very tight, so I imagine that's why you
couldn't get them out.
> I take it I can probably tap in the new bearings with a
> length of wood, or even easier?,
Nope, that will almost certainly ruin the bearings. You need a mandrel that
applies force evenly all around the bearing, and a forcing screw instead of
hammer blows, to avoid deforming the soft metal of the bearing.
> but how do you line up the oil
> holes and the
> locking bolt holes once the bearings are in place?
You have to press the bearing into place with the holes already aligned. If
they aren't just right, press the bearing out and try again.
> Are they loose enough to be twisted around once in?
NO! In fact, the setscrews border on irrelevant, my experience is that the
bearings will not turn in service even without the setscrews. I think
they're more to ensure that the bearings are correctly installed in the
first place.
Note that the rear bearing also has to line up with the oil feed to the
head. If the insert is turned front-to-back, you can only line up 2 of the
3 holes. The third hole is irrelevant in the other inserts, they can be
installed either way.
Randall
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