Bearing question

[CM2]

My mains on the block side have what looks like drilled 'ports' for babbit to fill..what is the purpose of drilling these "ports"? is it to pin the babbit?

[tbirdtbird]

I've never seen them drilled all the way thru like that. Usually there are a few shallow drill holes that the babbitt fills when being poured, to help anchor it and prevent the bearing from spinning. But what you show would accomplish the same thing

[DaWizard]

CM2, WELCOME to the VFF!!!

[CM2]

I've had a few people look at it and they said the same thing.The assembler before me also used a hard clear plastic type glaze at the rear main on the block and cap prior to shimming,almost like a thin "leveling course".He also vented the valve cover with a 3/8th" road draft tube. Imagine it was all for rear main seal protection.stock head,reground cam b grind, standard crank with balanced b flywheel ,a nice well built stock engine I got on the 'blind' so I tore it down to check it...as usual,it turned out I didn't have too..

[Kohnke Rebabbitting]

My mains on the block side have what looks like drilled 'ports' for babbit to fill..what is the purpose of drilling these "ports"? is it to pin the babbit?

The bearing is clearly not peened, or just a bad job. The drillings are no more, then an attempt to create four anchor holes that hold the babbitt bearing in the block.

But in reality, where the babbitt meets the back of the bearings, from any anchor, with out peening, the anchor babbitt will break off the shell.

If a bearing moves in its shell, it will crack loose, and break, and makes no difference how many holes you drill.

So if you don't peen, the crank will do it for you, and it will develop hair line cracks in the shell, on the back side, and that is when the small chunks start breaking out.

That is also why the rear thrust will break loose. The babbitt thrust, with out peening, is just hanging in mid air, on a Model A.

On Model B's, and early V-8's, Ford changed that.

Herm.