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Blacktop Zetec Main caps
mark-wiring - 11/5/08 at 11:06 PM

Right not for a kit but for my poorly escort lol.

Any ideas if this is going to be ok?



I used the silvertop mains caps on the blacktop engine and it all seams the same bearing fitted correctly arc of the cap looked the same and it saved making a spacer up for each bolt and getting them all the right length.


MikeRJ - 11/5/08 at 11:09 PM

Not a good idea. The main bearings will be line bored so a bearing cap will only ever fit correctly on the engine it came off, unless the block is line bored again and oversized bearings fitted.


mark-wiring - 11/5/08 at 11:12 PM

Its going to have the bottom end done so it wont be running without my engine builder looking at it i was just wondering if its going to cause greif for him.

Ill get him to check it out and if it needs to be bored ill get him to fit the other caps back to it and just get some spacers made up.

[Edited on 11/5/08 by mark-wiring]


stevebubs - 12/5/08 at 12:01 AM

quote:
Originally posted by mark-wiring
Its going to have the bottom end done so it wont be running without my engine builder looking at it i was just wondering if its going to cause greif for him.

Ill get him to check it out and if it needs to be bored ill get him to fit the other caps back to it and just get some spacers made up.

[Edited on 11/5/08 by mark-wiring]


Short answer is yes - it probably will cause him grief (see MikeRJ comment above).

It will probably be far cheaper in the long run for you to refit the original mains from the blacktop.

People recommend fitting ARP bolts, but TBH it depends on how much you're going to thrash it. My blacktop's been on the original bolts since I fitted it in late 2004.


stevebubs - 12/5/08 at 12:03 AM

PS Line boring is exactly the reason that any good engine manual will tell you not to put the cap for #3 onto #2 - i.e. you should always reinstall a cap into the same location (and in the same orientation) it came from originally.


r1_pete - 12/5/08 at 07:40 AM

I used spacers, think I've shown you this before: Rescued attachment windage.jpg
Rescued attachment windage.jpg


mark-wiring - 12/5/08 at 09:22 AM

Yes you did pete. Now i know how long the spacers need to be as ill put the proper caps back in i think sounds like it will be less hassle that way lol


mark-wiring - 2/6/08 at 04:29 PM

Just to put a finish to this i pick my engine back up next week the mains for the silvertop were 0.003mm smaller than the blacktop mains. So to that end they have been made to fit and it still uses std size bearings.