Thread: advise on 454 crank

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Hello, i'm building a 454, I recently picked up the parts from machine shop. had the crank regrouded to .020/.020 and rotating assembly balance. I installed the crank and 7 piston assemblies on the last piston i nicked the rod journal (very small scratch) I run my fingernail and it gets stuck. What should I do? i would hate to removed it.
Thanks

There are several Machinist on this forum and I am sure that someone will chime in with real world advice on a fix for this problem. But you are going to have to do something. In my experiance and I have done this same thing once before, if you can feel a nick or a burr, the bearing is going to feel it as well. This will score the bearing and result in some engine damage. Now is the time to fix it before you put it back together. Damn shame really but fix it now!!..RS

I've done this before and I'm pretty sure everyone on this board has done it on at least one build in their lifetime. Use a small, fine-tooth Nicholson half-round machinist's file to work the displaced material down to the journal surface. Even if you mess up and cut down a little past the journal surface, it'll be ok. It'll fill with oil and the bearing will never know it's there. Go slow and easy, use strong light and wear your reading glasses.

If you want to get anal about it, cut a short piece (maybe 1 1/2" long) off any good straight-edge you have. Lay the edge down on the journal, turn the lights off and shine a strong flashlight (a penlight works well) behind the piece of straight-edge every few strokes you take with the file. This should get you dead-nuts with no undercut.

Here's a low-buck alternative to Nicholson....
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...Itemnumber=468
And here's an example of a 6" machinist's rule you could wreck, making it a 4 1/2" machinist's rule....Be sure to clean off the burr where you cut it.....
http://www.store-planetools.com/inde...PROD&ProdID=72

you can used a small hone stone or fine file then some 600 grit paper with a hard backer like a machine ruler with some wd40 .you can coat the spot with a marker pen you may see a hi spot around the low spot.in the low spot the marker ink will stay thats ok you just want to make sure that spot is not hi spot wash good if you going to do it in the block. make sure you put some masking tape to block the oil hole in the crank to keep trash out or pull the crank out or let the machine shop hit it with a fresh belt .but the stone or file will work make sure to take your time driving the pistons in the holes i just tap then 3 times to get past the ring pack then push the piston down to the crank .fined a better way to keep rod bolts from hitting the journal like chop sticks for cap screws or i have one that look like a U that covers the rod bolts .make sure to look over the bolt and clean it so there metal in the threads of the rod bolts

All sounds like good advice. I like to use old sparkplug boots over the rod bolts as a preventive measure on the install.

Thanks everyone. I ended up using a small fine file, and lightly sanded with 1000grit paper. i run my nail and its seems fine. looks a little dull.