Hey guys, i need some help. I put in my main bearings and my rear rope seal, and put my crank in and i made sure everything was spotless both below and above the bearings. I polished the crank, and the bearings are std size. But when i put the 5th cap on by itself and just snug it down, it becomes almost impossible to turn by hand. Does this have anything to do with the rope seal ? i know its supposed to put a good amount of drag on the crank until its run for the first time, but i think this is a little much. I put the 1st cap on by itself, and it turned fine snugged up. I have tried everything i can think of, the rope seals are flush with the surfaces of the mains, the journals are all spotless along with the bearings, and like i said before i polished the crank. What do you guys think ? o, and i am using engine assembly lube, so dont pm me asking if i lubed it up LOL. thanks in advance guys

 

Is this with one cap only? You should check bearing clearance with all caps tourqed to specs. As long as all clearance is ok, I'd go with it. Also, did you oil the rope before installing?

 

You can check bearing clearances with plasti gauge. It should have come with your bearings or rebuild kit.

 

You can eliminate the rope seal and use a 2 piece. The SBO # is Fel-pro B/S 6141, not sure of the BBO number. What engine do you have?

 

i wanted to go with a 2 piece, but i didnt know if they made them for my engine, thats what i was about to go check. its a 69 350. also i will be checking my clearances today. thanks for the help guys ill let you know what happens

 

That # is for a 292 Ford, but it fits perfectly. I have used them in 350s 6 ot 7 times, no issues. If you can't just give the store a part #, ( some need application) tell them a 292 Ford P/U.

 

My 71 350 has a 2 piece. It came with my rebuild kit. But, as said before, bearing clearance is your main concern. That includes all mains and connecting rods. Make sure you have what you should , before you close it up. 75 cents and a few hours labour, can add to many extra hours of cruisin time. Let us know how it goes.

 

OK so when i was in town today, i forgot what the part number was, and so i couldnt get a 2 piece seal lol. But since another rope seal was only 5 bucks i got a new one. This time i talked to a mechanic friend of mine and he gave me a couple tips, and lone behold it worked great, and that thing will seal perfectly. He also said that a 2 piece would rip up faster because of the hashmarks in the crank, because the crank was designed for a rope seal. So if you guys who have a 2 piece start losing oil check the back of your engine lol. Well i got the rope together and the crank in, pistons, and the cam in. o hey do any of you know what the torque is on the main caps, i just wanted to make sure i was told the right ones. ill start posting some pics of my engine, and my car soon lol. o and my clearances are all near perfect. this engine is going to be sweet im so excited ! ps, what is the best way to put pics on this site ? thanks

 

According to Bob Gerometta's "Engine Modification and Tuning Guide" the torque spec for main caps 1-4 is 80 ft. lbs. The torque spec for main cap number 5 is 120 ft. lbs.

 

ok then i torqued them right. i just thought that was an odd spec.