bottom end · FF-0431

Why are rod bearings so hard to match on an early Flathead?

There are too many variables. Two rods run on one bearing; the rod itself can be bigger, the crank can be smaller, and the bearing has to suit both. On this engine the crank is 30 under on the rods, and the bearing could also be five bigger in the rod, because the rods are all bigger. Ed has several sets of these rods.

Expert

Ed Smith

Evidence

expert attributed

Component

connecting rod bearings

Applicable scope

1938 Ford Flathead V8, 21-stud, rebuilt to standard 221 cubic inch, as Ed describes it