The Jalopy Journal

Mel · 12-21-2003, 05:50 PM

Okay guys... when four-thirteen came over to help me pull the engine in my dodge, we found this in my oil pan. This is a cow magnet that I put in there when I rebuilt the engine in June. Never realized I would collect so much metal! And since I assume my crank was out of round when I rebuilt it (some of the jouranls look fine, but they're not within spec)... guess what the really bad journals looked like!

~Melissa

Mel · 12-21-2003, 05:52 PM

Here's a dark pic of the worst journal, but as you can tell, it's far from spec. It's at .042!

Mel · 12-21-2003, 05:54 PM

The interesting thing about the whole mess is that towards the front of the engine, the crank looks ok, out of spec in the round, but ok. Towards the back of the engine is where the two really bad journals are.

Could this be a result of some plugged oil passages somewhere???

manyolcars · 12-21-2003, 06:37 PM

what is a cow magnet?

Fat Hack · 12-21-2003, 06:39 PM

[ QUOTE ]
what is a cow magnet?

[/ QUOTE ]

A fresh, green pasture????

**cosmo** · 12-21-2003, 07:03 PM

A 'cow magnet' is a magnet in a rod shape, about 1 1/2 inches long, rounded on both ends. It's purpose is to sit in a cow's stomach and collect any metal bits that the cow eats. That way, the cow does not injure itself excreting those metal bits.
Yes, the cow swallows the magnet.
No, AFAIK, no one retrieves the magnet, you use NEW ones.
Cosmo

**Tman** · 12-21-2003, 07:09 PM

Damn Mel! That looks nasty! And cool in a modern art sorta way.

19Fordy · 12-21-2003, 07:18 PM

Mel, I graduated from Stout in 1971. All I can remember is the bittert cold and driving my 40 Ford on the frozen lake. Is that where you're studying. Also what kind of engine was that magnet in. jim in FL.

**plmczy** · 12-21-2003, 07:49 PM

Mel, did you have them torqued down properly? Did you have the bearings installed correctly? Just some ideas for you to consider

. later plmczy

C9 · 12-21-2003, 07:58 PM

Mel, if your journals are rough, but not out of round you may be able to polish them - a machine shop deal, not too expensive - and put some .001 or .002 over bearings in it.
You'd have to look up the bearing clearance specs for your engine, but .0015 - .003 is the usual.
I may have the specs you want if you let me know what engine you're dealing with.

The .001 and .002 over standard bearings are a fairly common item obtainable at your genuine parts house.

If you don't have inside and outside micrometers to shoot the bearing clearances, use Plasti-Gage in the clearance range you want.
I think the one required for your engine is in the green envelope.
Used correctly it's probably more accurate than using a micrometer.

yorgatron · 12-21-2003, 08:07 PM

take a closer look at that second picture C9,you can see the ridge between one side of the journal and the other.BTW Mel,OUCH!!!

C9 · 12-21-2003, 08:19 PM

[ QUOTE ]
take a closer look at that second picture C9,you can see the ridge between one side of the journal and the other

[/ QUOTE ]

I see it Yorgy.
It shouldn't make too much difference if the rest of the journal polishes up ok.
Granted, machine shops like a perfect bearing surface, but all a depressed area like the deep score on the journal means is, the rest of the bearings load will be increased by a small percentage.
Just depends on how much perfection Mel wants - and the more the better in most cases - or if she's just trying to get by.
And getting by would entail a reasonable bit of driving keeping in mind what kind of shape or lack thereof the crank is in.

It's surprising what these engines will carry us through at times.

Mel · 12-21-2003, 10:26 PM

Every journal on that crank is out of round... I can't afford to take it into a shop right now, so I'm looking at whatever I can do to get the car back on the road under a budget. I may just pick up a cheap runner and go with it until I break it or can afford to fix the crank.

I torqued everything in that motor down to the specs in my manual so I doubt that was the problem... and seeing as I didn't have the tools to check the crank the first time around, I probably should've had it machined a long time ago.

19Fordy- yeah, I'm at Stout for apparel design. Were you in the Stout Auto Club before you graduated? If you were, I gotta get some info to you... Oh and the motor is a 326 poly wide block... original to that car.

~Melissa

**GreggAz** · 12-22-2003, 10:03 AM

the shop next door has a poly motor "rebuilt" for 400 bucks... could be gotten much cheaper... but shipping would be a bit expensive unless you could get a hamb relay going.

Mel · 12-22-2003, 12:05 PM

I already have about that much into this one, so I know I'd like to keep her going, sooner or later.

But what size what that motor they're selling?

Morrisman · 12-22-2003, 05:03 PM

Mel,
That crank looks like scrap to me. You've got a .020" ridge there, between journals, so you gotta regrind to at least that to clean it up. You're looking at minimum a 40 thou undergrind, no quick way around it.
Could be a wrongly installed shell set, or a bit of rubbish picked up in one shell, as if it was oil flow both sides of that throw would be burned up.
Paul

PEDDRO · 12-22-2003, 05:49 PM

Agree with MM, I scrapped a crank that looked like that in December '02. Of course, that was a 289 windsor, so easier to replace.

**DONOTDELETE** · 12-22-2003, 07:39 PM

Is it possible that rod cap got installed backwards ?

zman · 12-22-2003, 09:23 PM

This is why I really dig magnetic drain plugs. They let you know what's going on when you change your oil.

Mel · 12-23-2003, 01:07 AM

The rod caps all are stamped with numbers so I know I got them on the same way they came off... just match the numbers.

12-21-2003, 05:50 PM	#1
Mel Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 528	Oil Monsters.... Okay guys... when four-thirteen came over to help me pull the engine in my dodge, we found this in my oil pan. This is a cow magnet that I put in there when I rebuilt the engine in June. Never realized I would collect so much metal! And since I assume my crank was out of round when I rebuilt it (some of the jouranls look fine, but they're not within spec)... guess what the really bad journals looked like! ~Melissa

12-21-2003, 05:52 PM	#2
Mel Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 528	Re: Oil Monsters.... Here's a dark pic of the worst journal, but as you can tell, it's far from spec. It's at .042!

12-21-2003, 05:54 PM	#3
Mel Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 528	Re: Oil Monsters.... The interesting thing about the whole mess is that towards the front of the engine, the crank looks ok, out of spec in the round, but ok. Towards the back of the engine is where the two really bad journals are. Could this be a result of some plugged oil passages somewhere???

12-21-2003, 06:37 PM	#4
manyolcars Old School HAMBer Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: ... Posts: 3,769	Re: Oil Monsters.... what is a cow magnet?

12-21-2003, 06:39 PM	#5
Fat Hack Old School HAMBer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Detroit Posts: 7,648	Re: Oil Monsters.... [ QUOTE ] what is a cow magnet? [/ QUOTE ] A fresh, green pasture????

12-21-2003, 07:03 PM	#6
cosmo Alliance Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: South Elgin, IL. USA Posts: 1,687	Re: Oil Monsters.... A 'cow magnet' is a magnet in a rod shape, about 1 1/2 inches long, rounded on both ends. It's purpose is to sit in a cow's stomach and collect any metal bits that the cow eats. That way, the cow does not injure itself excreting those metal bits. Yes, the cow swallows the magnet. No, AFAIK, no one retrieves the magnet, you use NEW ones. Cosmo

12-21-2003, 07:09 PM	#7
Tman Alliance Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Black Hills Posts: 20,887	Re: Oil Monsters.... Damn Mel! That looks nasty! And cool in a modern art sorta way.

12-21-2003, 07:18 PM	#8
19Fordy Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Coral Springs, FL Posts: 2,417	Re: Oil Monsters.... Mel, I graduated from Stout in 1971. All I can remember is the bittert cold and driving my 40 Ford on the frozen lake. Is that where you're studying. Also what kind of engine was that magnet in. jim in FL.

12-21-2003, 07:49 PM	#9
plmczy Alliance Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Orangeville,PA USA Posts: 2,190	Re: Oil Monsters.... Mel, did you have them torqued down properly? Did you have the bearings installed correctly? Just some ideas for you to consider . later plmczy

12-21-2003, 07:58 PM	#10
C9 Member Emeritus Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Kingman, Arizona - The place on the way to other places.... Posts: 9,537	Re: Oil Monsters.... Mel, if your journals are rough, but not out of round you may be able to polish them - a machine shop deal, not too expensive - and put some .001 or .002 over bearings in it. You'd have to look up the bearing clearance specs for your engine, but .0015 - .003 is the usual. I may have the specs you want if you let me know what engine you're dealing with. The .001 and .002 over standard bearings are a fairly common item obtainable at your genuine parts house. If you don't have inside and outside micrometers to shoot the bearing clearances, use Plasti-Gage in the clearance range you want. I think the one required for your engine is in the green envelope. Used correctly it's probably more accurate than using a micrometer.

12-21-2003, 08:07 PM	#11
yorgatron Old School HAMBer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: san jose,ca.u.s.a. Posts: 4,198	Re: Oil Monsters.... take a closer look at that second picture C9,you can see the ridge between one side of the journal and the other.BTW Mel,OUCH!!!

12-21-2003, 08:19 PM	#12
C9 Member Emeritus Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Kingman, Arizona - The place on the way to other places.... Posts: 9,537	Re: Oil Monsters.... [ QUOTE ] take a closer look at that second picture C9,you can see the ridge between one side of the journal and the other [/ QUOTE ] I see it Yorgy. It shouldn't make too much difference if the rest of the journal polishes up ok. Granted, machine shops like a perfect bearing surface, but all a depressed area like the deep score on the journal means is, the rest of the bearings load will be increased by a small percentage. Just depends on how much perfection Mel wants - and the more the better in most cases - or if she's just trying to get by. And getting by would entail a reasonable bit of driving keeping in mind what kind of shape or lack thereof the crank is in. It's surprising what these engines will carry us through at times.

12-21-2003, 10:26 PM	#13
Mel Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 528	Re: Oil Monsters.... Every journal on that crank is out of round... I can't afford to take it into a shop right now, so I'm looking at whatever I can do to get the car back on the road under a budget. I may just pick up a cheap runner and go with it until I break it or can afford to fix the crank. I torqued everything in that motor down to the specs in my manual so I doubt that was the problem... and seeing as I didn't have the tools to check the crank the first time around, I probably should've had it machined a long time ago. 19Fordy- yeah, I'm at Stout for apparel design. Were you in the Stout Auto Club before you graduated? If you were, I gotta get some info to you... Oh and the motor is a 326 poly wide block... original to that car. ~Melissa

12-22-2003, 10:03 AM	#14
GreggAz Alliance Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Phoenix, Az Posts: 846	Re: Oil Monsters.... the shop next door has a poly motor "rebuilt" for 400 bucks... could be gotten much cheaper... but shipping would be a bit expensive unless you could get a hamb relay going.

12-22-2003, 12:05 PM	#15
Mel Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 528	Re: Oil Monsters.... I already have about that much into this one, so I know I'd like to keep her going, sooner or later. But what size what that motor they're selling?

12-22-2003, 05:03 PM	#16
Morrisman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: England, right in the middle Posts: 1,032	Re: Oil Monsters.... Mel, That crank looks like scrap to me. You've got a .020" ridge there, between journals, so you gotta regrind to at least that to clean it up. You're looking at minimum a 40 thou undergrind, no quick way around it. Could be a wrongly installed shell set, or a bit of rubbish picked up in one shell, as if it was oil flow both sides of that throw would be burned up. Paul

12-22-2003, 05:49 PM	#17
PEDDRO Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Coburg, Victoria, AUSTRALIA Posts: 2,250	Re: Oil Monsters.... Agree with MM, I scrapped a crank that looked like that in December '02. Of course, that was a 289 windsor, so easier to replace.

12-22-2003, 07:39 PM	#18
DONOTDELETE Old School HAMBer Join Date: Dec 1969 Posts: 3,323	Re: Oil Monsters.... Is it possible that rod cap got installed backwards ?

12-22-2003, 09:23 PM	#19
zman Alliance Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 13,693	Re: Oil Monsters.... This is why I really dig magnetic drain plugs. They let you know what's going on when you change your oil.

12-23-2003, 01:07 AM	#20
Mel Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 528	Re: Oil Monsters.... The rod caps all are stamped with numbers so I know I got them on the same way they came off... just match the numbers.

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