main cap problem
 

hey guys, recently i built the motor to put into my monte carlo, when i went to put in the crankshaft, i put the main caps onto the block in the way that i took them off and the crank didn't want to spin for the life of it, so, my friend went into the shop and switched 2 of the caps around and now it spins, i don't really want to trust that assumption, and i don't really want to rip apart the motor again to go and send it to get line bored, is there any way that i would be able to check the clearances without using plastiguage to make sure that they are all in the right area, p.s., the crank spun perfectly when i purchased the motor, so i'm not really sure why its doing it now, it was stock with no machining to the crank or anything, and the bearings were replaced with the same size that was in there, any recommendations?

RE: main cap problem
 

Don't be silly!

Get the Plastiguage and FIND OUT what the story is!
Like it or not that's what you are limited too.

You can't Roll the Dice on a situation like that.
Every time you do ... it's Craps. You lose!

(How did you store the Crank when you had it out?)

RE: main cap problem
 

just to be safe, i wasn't sure if the crank was warped in any way so i replaced it, i went to advance auto parts and they sell and remanufactured crank with all new matching bearings and stuff, so i purchased that, and i never took it out of the box until it was tome to throw it in, the reason why i don't like plastiguage is that when you put it in and torque it down it puts a groove in the bearing and is hardly even noticeable when you look at it, and you don't get a accurate clearance reading, some people swear by the stuff, but my teacher is a professional machinist and hates it with a passion but i'll give it a shot and see what i can do.

RE: main cap problem
 

do you happen to know the specs for the caps or know a website that i can get them off of

RE: main cap problem
 

Buy a micrometer and a telescoping gage set. Shouldn't be terribly pricey since you only need 1 size, but I can't imagine trying to put together a bottom end and having no clue what size everything is. Obvioulsy something is out of whack if it can't even spin.

RE: main cap problem
 

Toinstall a crankshaft you have to lube the shell bearings on both sides after torqueing them in the right sequence ' you have to hit the crankshaft foward and back to set the thrust bearing. Check clearance with feeler gauge. Should have between 5 and 8 thow, but check that spec in the book. Crank should spin with ease by your hand.

RE: main cap problem
 

that was all done as far as setting the thrust bearing, but since the crank didn't move at the first time of installing it, i didn't even bother yet to check the clearances, but i'm planning on checking them asap, if in fact the clearances are off, how do i know which cap goes where. or am i basically just shooting in the dark as far as that goes.