Molnar Rods, bearing tangs: user error

The cap is installed correctly according to the etched marking on the rod. This is the large chamfer side. One half of the bearing shell is offset significantly from the other half. This causes some of them to touch the journal fillet.

These are 7.100 2.200 .990.

As you can imagine there's alot I could say, However I will give them a call Monday and see what they have to say on this topic.

This very well may be my error, maybe the bearings are specific upper/lower but if that's normal I guess it's my inexperience showing.

Isn't this the part in the instructions where it says: "If our sh!t don't fit, you can buy a bearing scraper from us, too, and fix it yourself."?

I had the same issue on a 493 build a few years ago. Molnar rods BBM journal, King bearings. It was the bearings, not the rods.

Thanks. I've talked to Tom on Facebook messenger and will call him Monday.
No time to play with this stuff during the week anymore.

Try switching the bearings first. Move the one in the cap to the rod,etc.

My rod bearing were marked upper & lower

Tom the owner of the company talked to me on Fakebook messenger.....Mind you this is Sunday afternoon....and helped me out.

Perfect storm:

1. User error/my fault not realizing there were separate upper and lower shells. Not sure why this does not ring a bell from the past? But no problem admitting what I don't know or forgot.

2. With that knowledge, I found I have 10 uppers and 6 lowers in the package... that's not gonna work

Following the Direct Connection engine bulletin for old Kellogg cranks, I did their suggested bench mockup of the K1/Molnar when things just seemed....odd.

While it's nice to lay all the pretty looking parts out and so on, but that fillet contact, however slight had me wondering. It did not lock up on the fillet but there was a "drag" and shiny edges here and there had me taking a big step back to look at it.

Lesson learned and case closed for now....I'll order more bearings until I have an actual set of upper/lower, do the whole mockup again and will send the rest of the bearings back.

Thanks!

Just like a detective show, the first suspect isn't always guilty.

I'm fortunate to have had alot of help over the years, from many.

That's the great thing about buying from Molnar. There was a boxing mixup with my crank and I had questions later about rod side clearance during assembly. He was very quick to answer in both instances.

I don't do this stuff a lot but enjoy the process as a hobby, and it's a good feeling when you know you got it right. Equally bad feeling when you know it's not right.

Needed a sanity check so went and grabbed some of the stuff I have worked with more recently since that's more fresh in what's left of my brain.

2008 6.1 hemi shown.
You just put the bearing in.....

After a few OE part based gen 3 builds I guess I got spoiled and lazy real quick.

No need to care if you have upper or lower, so I stopped caring.

Engineers started to get smarter about designing weird stuff that wasn't required. LH lug nuts, unique bearings, non-symmetrical pulley holes, etc.

Engineers started to get this message pounded into them about 30 years ago. Too late for most of the classic Mopar muscle car stuff.

Every BB Chevy rod bearing I've had and use all had a upper and lower, not like most of the early SB and BB Mopar rod bearings
Dang them Chevy engineers anyways

Cab: that helps, thanks.

I've got next to nothing for BBC experience.

I helped a college classmate rebuild a 454 in the late '80s. That's the last exposure I can remember to a BBC, I did very little to it, and have killed alot of brain cells between then and now.

Toyota does something in engineering that I'm surprised isn't more common.
Frequently, a part designed for a specific application will be very close to the best design for a related engine.
Many US stuff allows things that should not be interchanged to be swapped over, the poster child may be the 289/210 hp Windsor damper used with a big cam (you need the very different 271 hp damper). Chevy SBC V8 damper fits L6, B/RB early/late tappets and pushrods can be mixed up.
Toyota changes at least one feature to make sure if the part is not completely compatible with another engine - it won't go on. They change the bolt pattern of the flex plate and converter when the swap is not a good idea, even in the same transmission. Accidental misapplication is greatly reduced, the downside is everything is more expensive and you don't have the part in stock.

This doesn't surprise me one bit. One of the reasons I would always recommend using his parts when appropriate.

The only reason there is an upper/lower rod bearing shell in this case is it’s a HP application that needs to have the chamfered side of the bearing towards the large crank filet.
If they were oe replacement bearings for that application, there wouldn’t be uppers and lowers.

Dwayne, thanks...that also helps.

It's probably very obvious I've never worked with anything but regular replacement type bearings (made from a couple different materials) on anything.

Probably dating myself...was sold Michigan 77 branded for the first engines I ever worked with...since then have used only Clevite P bearings, FM aluminum, and stock G3 aluminum from Mopar/Dodge Dealer.

I'm glad I checked my ego at the door and asked what was going on.

Like a few of the cool people here, Tom Molnar really seems to be a gem.
Told me to contact him anytime for advice.
Really can't beat that.

Rich