At 09:55 AM 3/15/97 +0000, you wrote:
>Hugh Barber wrote:
>>
>> As a long-time TR owner (first car was a '70 spitfire) who has owned my
>> current '73 TR-6 for the past 12 years, I have always wondered why the
>> factory used separate thrust washers in the TR engines. It seems that the
>> rest of the world uses a main bearing/thrust washer one piece unit.
>> So..... the question is - why does'nt somebody (Moss, TRF, et al) come up
>> with a one piece conversion for the TR. It would seem to be a simple
>> change on the upper bearing shell and with some very simple machining to
>> the bearing cap, the lower bearing shell could use one as well (just like
>> the rest of the world). Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems so
>> simple and it would do away with the "washers-in-bottom-of-pan/engine block
>> and crank ruined" problem.
>>
>> Hugh Barber
>> Santa Clara, CA
>> '73 TR-6
>I think the probem is thus- It looks like the main bearing caps were
>cast with the block, then machined out. I may be wrong, but this would
>make interchaning bearing caps diffulct.
The bore for the crank is machined with the caps in place. The machining I
was referring to was on the sides of the rear main cap, to remove the "lip"
that holds the thrust washer in place and to allow for a one piece thrust
washer/main bearing on the bottom bearing surface as well. This would give
a 360 degree thrust surface (just like most engines). But it's all
academic, since I don't know of anybody who makes such a conversion and its
beyond the capabilities of a single owner to implement
Hugh Barber
Santa Clara, CA
'73 TR-6
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