Submitted by: James T Smith
It is in the air or on America’s roads. More than a handful of auto restoration buffs have an affinity for good old fashioned US made cars than for those exotic foreign made “classic” automobiles.
Some of the times this might well be attributed to the overall costs involved. After all auto – car & truck restoration is a hobby which can well drain your pocketbook. Other times and in other instances the vehicle choice and type involves a driving machine that an uncle / father / neighbor / cousin drove and the restoration project person always wished or even lusted for – in their mind. Now that they have a job, income and a bank account they can fulfill their mind’s desire of what “they always wanted”. Well at least in a car in the driveway or garage.
Regardless of the actual, perceived or admitted reason it is overall a lot easier to round up or locate a good project car that is a good old fashioned Chevrolet as opposed to a 1925 Bentley which may be lying in front of a fisherman’s boat in Vancouver BC Canada. Although parts for older & what might be considered “classic Chevy cars” almost abound, and interchangeable parts that can be exchanged between the various General Motors GM models and auto division products are easy to maintain it is the human expertise – the hands on information, the tips that were learned through time and expertise of working on these vehicles on a daily basis that is the gold that can be almost unobtainable to obtain. After all many of these Chevrolet & GM service mechanics are long retired and some are gone from the face of the earth. Even with internet access to experts around the world in a flash, as well as resources such as eBay, Craigslist & Kijiji on hand it can be downright hard if not next to impossible to round up these time saving tips gleaned from years of experience of working on these cars. Here are some tips to both speed your way, and as well complete your project fully when it comes time to overhaul the motor and check the crankshafts of vintage Chevrolet and other General Motors GM vehicles.
First before replacing any connecting rod bearings, the connecting rod bearing journal should be carefully measured for both wear and roughness. Ordinary three inch outside micrometers is generally used for measuring connecting rod journals. The throws or journals should be measured along their length to check for taper, and also measured at two points at full right angles to each other to see if they are out of round.
Generally accepted limits for taper and out of round are.001 inches and 0.0015 inches respectively. If the wear does exceed these values, then no doubt about it that the crankshaft should be reground – preferably at an experienced machine shop. Next in line if there is any roughness, the journal should be reground as well. When journals are tapered out-of-round or scored it will be next to impossible to fit the bearings correctly with the almost guaranteed result that the bearing will “knock”, lose an excessive amount of engine oils and you can almost bet will soon no doubt fail completely leaving you and your prize Chevrolet stranded on the roadside.
Be advised to make your life and project frustrations less that there is available actual specialized professional grade mechanic’s equipment for reconditioning connecting rod journals without removing the crankshaft from the engine itself.
The beauty of these older engines and vehicles is not only that they were built sturdily with open areas to work within but also that they are relatively simple mechanical devices. Today’s vehicles are not only cramped to work on, highly complex but involves a lot of electronic modules that are sealed units by themselves and are not repairable.
Fortunately this is not the case with good old fashioned Chevrolet automobiles, their engines and power trains. The expression “runs like a Chevy” was no doubt well earned and deserved. Have fun this summer with your auto restoration project or projects. The ruggedness of older Chevrolet cars is one of main reasons that older GM vehicles continue to serve as a basis of the vintage car and truck restoration hobby among Americans and Canadians who have gotten this bug. It harkens back to a time, not long ago when these mammoths ruled American roads and highways.
About the Author: James T. Smith Eagle Ridge GM Chevrolet GMC Trucks Buick Coquitlam BC
Surey Canada Auto DealerVancouver Truck Dealership Surrey British Columbia Car Dealers
Source:
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