hey guys, im replacing the rod bearings currently and im deciding whether or not to get a maintence book. but then i remembered the forum haha. ok so if i cant get help here, im gonna need to get the book. so what my question is..what torque setting do i have to use for the clamps...after i replace the bearings so it isnt too tight or too loose. and same for the oil pan thing too if that even matters. oh yea my car is the 1988 monte carlo ss. stock..305 v8 5.0l high output engine i think...someone else told me its a 350 but i dunno..its most likely the 305..so yea..help by tomorrow would be great..

 

A rod bolt stretch gauge is by far the preferred method for properly torquing rod bolts- it measures the amount of stretch instead of the amount of torque which has too many other variables.

Honestly man, it sounds like you aren't really familiar with engines at all- maybe you should think about having a shop do it for you?

 

well thats the thing...im learning and i dont have money at all for a shop to do it for me...all i need to know is the torque specs and i could do em right away...

 

so no one knows the torque specs? or whats that rod bolt stretch gauge thing..never heard of it...can anyone fill me in on that?

 

No offense, Brother. But, you got to put-down the tools and pick-up a book.
Get yourself a WorkShop Manual.

You have to check the Bearing to Crank tolerance by laying a piece of Plastiguage across the Crank Journal and Torquing the Big-ends to Specs.
Then, you have to loosen the Big-end and take-off the Bearing Cap and "Read" the amount that the Plastiguage got flattened-out against the Journal.

All your work on the Bottom-end needs to be precise.
You can't just ask for a Torque Value and start buttoning-up the Bottom-end hoping for the right tolerances and tightness.

You've got to know that every single move you make is verified against being on or within Specs.
Otherwise, something that isn't right is going to cause something bad to happen.
Real bad!

Do it right or place it in the capable hands of someone that knows how-to.

 

right

 

I agree with Rick. The best buy for me was my Haynes manual. I know what it's like not being able to afford shop work. My wife is in college full time and we have one kid with one on the way. I understand. lol.

 

thanks rys..im in high school lol my main reason for no money...but i might get some soon so ill just get a manual then i guess. and maybe replace the main bearings while im at it..

 

If you're going to have the block torn down you may as well replace problem spots within the motor if you can afford it and accomplish it.

 

Honestly, even the plastigage method is considered pretty ghetto. If you had a spun rod bearing (which I assume is why you're replacing them), then you really should mic the ID of the rod, and the OD of the crank, checking both size and eccentricity.

You should just buy the manual too, because if you're rebuilding the engine anyways- you'll need all the rest of the specs to make sure everything else is ok.

Honestly, I think you should wait until you have the money to properly rebuild the bottom end- to get the proper tools and manuals, and to replace all the wear items (bearings, piston rings, etc). Rebuilding an engine is not a cheap thing to do, and you'd hate to just throw it together because chances are, you'll end up with a broken engine again before long.