Thread: Clevite bearings vs King bearings.

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If you have tried both or know someone who has, whats your opinion???

Clevite, all the way. Got a set of King bearings (by mistake) in an engine kit I ordered a year or so ago. Didn't like them all that well. Depending on the intended usage, like if you're going racing, might even want to consider the upraded H bearings from Clevite....

i not saying that dave is wrong BUT i have us many set of clevites and lately have not be that happy with them or speedpro /FM i have use them both and the kings are better in size and have used them in 850hp+ engines with good luck clevite quality is down but use what you like some guys do not care if the bearings are off by .0003+ i do

[quote=DennyW]Funny that should come up. I'm going King Bearings this time in my Merc. Going to pack a little more punch to it.



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They are made better. yes they are by far made better and price better there new stock bearing OEM is far the best bearing for size i ever have used

I just to post a reply here wether it's relevent or not. I sift through all of these posts and realize I'm back in my preteen years reading some rag of the "coolest way" to build a car; engine, or what ever. I didn't much care for my jr high teachers or high school teachers because I thought there was always a short cut somewhere out "there". After 37 yrs of building successful drag, nascar, and outlaw sprint car engines, I find myself appearing to be my dad and scratching my butt and shaking my head wondering,"Why doesn't he get this stuff?" bear with me please, I have gone through all these "trials" and have to slap myself in the face to remember that there are no stupid questions. Always remember the geometry that makes all these components work. Load forces, combustion forces, angles of load disribution, rotating mass, etc. These are what make you run or "blow-up". Geometry is "EVERYTHING". Sorry to sound like your math teacher but it is all you need to know. If your rotating assembly is perfect, so is your effort. The bearing solution is only as good as your work and or assembly. I can argue and recite politics about manufacturers all year long but it still comes full circle to how you prepped and built the engine. King has great stuff. Clevitte has good stuff. FM has good stuff. Any thing can withstand the load and pressure is good. Always start with the goemetry, then worry about parts. By the way, my first project in Top Alchohol Funny cars was a puny 481 Rodeck that set the first 6.00 elapsed time and was not torn down between runs until it reached 50 runs and still showed no signs of fatigue or abnormalities. Not bragging, but it let's you know that what you are trying to do is more physics than a marketing ploy with ego's attached. I hope this helps.

I should clarify about my first "project". It was the first one I so proudly did as one I had no help or direction such as company ownership or using anybody else's expertise for which I was needing. I spent a lot of years using somebody else's tutiledge arriving at that spot. I cannot explain the feelings felt at that time. Since then, I have continued to keep going foward and have "Many" successes to prove what works and what blows up. "RACE ON" and keep diggin'. You'll get where you want to be.

Mrs. Cambel my sixth grade teacher said ( no question is a stupid question unless you already know the answer, for then you should of asked another question to learn more) ONE GREAT TEACHER.

I agree with you on the workmanship. But better parts are better parts. For they too come down to workmanship. However after four rebuilds by different builders and the same results each and every time in three passes, fried bearings and engine seize, it was time I did things myself. For even with the best parts you cant just assemble it. Just because its new doesn't mean its good. The crank had .015 run out at the rear when placed on 1&4 journals. They only checked it when it was on the front and rear only. The rear main was .002 smaller then 1-4. The rod bearings were at .0017 clearance not .0025-.0028.
The details of a blueprinted engine.
I had the block line bored to perfection, the crank ground too within a tenth.
I along with a friend I assembled the bottom end yesterday paying ATTENTION to each and every detail. I can now spin the crank just about by blowing on it.
I want the engine to run like my friends, racing it for Ten years every week and still running great with normal maintenance.

It goes to show ya, "Close is good enough"....not for this customer. Geometry is everything. This includes the specs on journals etc. What else is there that makes our stuff run?. Choose your parts wisely but don't rely on them to save your butt. Get it right the first time and everything else will make you look like a Genius. P.S. thanks for your specs on the "usable" piece. It helps show us what the machine shops thinks is acceptable.

Good build tip Denny. A lot of hobbiests and others don't feel comfortable with a full string of plastigauge along the journal to scope up and down the length of it. Everyone needs to get good at it and I never will give up the Mics for a problem like Dadnova presented us. I hate to sound anal, but I really get picky in this area. P.S. I'm very fussy about radiuses especially when it comes to customers pieces.

i use my mic check the size of crank .check size of bore housing with bore gauge on mains /rods. i check rods with my sunnen ag-300 and my hand held sunnen bore gauge to see that they are reading the same size. when i recon the rods. i set my mic off the crank. i set my dial gauge off the mic then TQ all bearings in housing bore and check with sunnen dail gauge that reads in tenths for tapper and size and adjust from there but there is other ways just is the best way for me. this tells me where the size or where the tapper is crank. housing bore. mains/rods and size

Yep, you gotta use plasti-gauge. I'm in the process of building my 413. Just did all my clearances today. I just like to know myself that everything is checking out fine, other then building the engine, and later on having the thought in the back of your head saying, man I hope things are good.

My thoughts on that. Oh, and im using Clevite bearings. I'm sure they'll hold up fine, although king is a better made bearing. On my next build (a nice 350 for my dads truck) im gonna try king

well as a builder and a engine machinist i understand that some would not have the tools or measurement tools i have. so you need to check it so plasti-gauge will work for that. But you will not know were the housing bores size for the rods or mains.. (This is a big deal to me ).. if you have any tapper you will not know if its the housing bore mains/rods or just bad bearings mich bearings will hold up good and still used the H type bearings just have not been that happy with there size but have used them for many years .not put together clean or not the right oil running clearances lack of oil and dirty oil kills more bearings than the maker but there as been some really bad bearings out there that did flake up .will not name them

I am happy I am doing my own engine now with the help of an old timer. He told me the rod bearings were to tight after only three passes on them. How ever he had me run the bearing with plasti gage just to show me and to prove the point of learning. When we were done with the crank we could just about spin it by blowing on it. It feels great.

Every King bearing we recieved was measured and found to be within a 1/10 of a thousands by my other freind who is a machinist.

It's not just you Denny. Keep promoting the Double check, Triple check, and when you think you've got it, check it again. Use all the rescources at your dispossal.