Steel Main Cap Problem

[marred4life]

was the machinist even taken the bearings to be able to catch this..people the like to point fingers should usually point them up their ass just my $.02

i bought the bearing from the machine shop, you can stick your finger in your fun hole bud.

 

[cruzn57]

Well LOU..........

i bought the bearing from the machine shop, you can stick your finger in your fun hole bud.

you got your wish, LOL

 

[blown okie]

well if your the one assembling it, its the assemblers duty to catch this stuff, & the machine shop didn't mfg. this bearing so its not really anybodys fault but federal moguls, or whoever mfg'ed the cap, this is the type of crap one will run into building engines for a living, & it seems to shock people that only do this once every 5 yrs. the type of slop, out of tolerance, not right stuff, thats floating around out there, i tend to think i missed something if things go to smoothly...people are just as in haste to blame the machinist for this stuff..i agree good shops are hard to find..engine machine is a very thankless job alot of the time, & is become a dying art imo thanks to all the crate junk out there. meant no offense, & btw grind the tab off the bearing and don't look back, especially since its the thrust bearing.

 

[750H.P.V6]

I'm sort of suprised about Program Engineering screwed up the manufacturing for the locating tang on this cap. They have been making these for over a decade and I've used more than a few without any issues.

As far as blaming the machinist goes, if he's not doing the build why would he have installed the bearings? He would measure the bore I.D. while honing it and possibly install 1 bearing (typically #1) to make sure the main clearance is within the customer spec but wouldn't usually install the whole set.

Neal

 

[S2V6RACER]

i bought the bearing from the machine shop, you can stick your finger in your fun hole bud.

X2

Looking at his sig he must be a machinist and not a speed shop. 12.95 @ 105 spinning, can't imagine what it would do making some real power.

 

[blown okie]

X2

Looking at his sig he must be a machinist and not a speed shop. 12.95 @ 105 spinning, can't imagine what it would do making some real power.

i would most defiantly say where i work is a speed shop. considering the business owns a mid 9 sec. NHRA super stocker,(might wanna go get a copy of the rulebook & know what takes to build a REAL race car) my boss has personally won 33 class win Wally's & set 7 national records in super stock, not to mention the engines we've built for other NHRA stock/super stock racers that have set records, plus all the 400-600 + plus HP street/strip engines we build on a regular basis. don't let my Buick be a representation of what im capable of, because its not..i finished that car in the pits @ midnight before the race..had about 10 miles on it from driving around in the pits, which is about enough time just to make sure everything functions & there are no leaks. had no tuning done, on crappy street tires (225/60/15), that spun past the 60ft. mark,& a stock 100+k trans & converter that have probably had better days, & only running 15 psi. boost.& a 3700 + pound race weight, i think it did exceptional. the long block in the car is at least a mid 11 sec. capable engine....if i got rid of its bottlenecks(stock turbo & intercooler, exhaust & actually turn up the boost, etc.)my combo is about as mismatched as it can get, but i did what i could afford & have a solid foundation for a fast car.
thank you for your time, & sorry to hijack this thread.

 

[DR BOOST]

this aint nobody's fault but the company that made the mismachined cap.

Unfortunately, this is one of those situations where the remedy is left up to the consumer.

i would hope that others who recently bought caps will be notified.

 

[gnxtc2]

Who was the manufacturer of the steel caps?

ProGram Engineering, the cap guy in Texas or are they from China?

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[EightSecV6]

The quickest and easiest fix for all involved would have been to file the tab off the bearing, I wish I would have seen this sooner.

 

[turbolou]

Reply

this aint nobody's fault but the company that made the mismachined cap.

Unfortunately, this is one of those situations where the remedy is left up to the consumer.

i would hope that others who recently bought caps will be notified.

Yep it falls under s#it happens,which is pretty much the norm when your building custom applications. I really think in this guys case he would of been better off just leaving the stock caps on.This seems to be his first rebuild & wanted to try it himself. His previous post in the southwest section stated his intention was to cut out the overpriced middlemen. His theory was why should he be screwed by one of us when he's fully capable of doing it to himself. He bemoaned that I wasn't offering the proper vendor support & a mean spirited old grouch. Now I don't know what I will do. I feel so all alone.

 

[Grumpy]

my favorite motto "IF it comes in a box it's a " MAKE" to fit ya **** happends !!!! thats why ya have to keep your eyes open !!! :biggrin:

 

[marred4life]

Yep it falls under s#it happens,which is pretty much the norm when your building custom applications. I really think in this guys case he would of been better off just leaving the stock caps on.This seems to be his first rebuild & wanted to try it himself. His previous post in the southwest section stated his intention was to cut out the overpriced middlemen. His theory was why should he be screwed by one of us when he's fully capable of doing it to himself. He bemoaned that I wasn't offering the proper vendor support & a mean spirited old grouch. Now I don't know what I will do. I feel so all alone.

leaving the stock caps on a build 109 is not the answer, im not aiming for 13 or 12s so steel caps is the only way im sure you know that already

 

[S2V6RACER]

i would most defiantly say where i work is a speed shop. considering the business owns a mid 9 sec. NHRA super stocker,(might wanna go get a copy of the rulebook & know what takes to build a REAL race car) my boss has personally won 33 class win Wally's & set 7 national records in super stock, not to mention the engines we've built for other NHRA stock/super stock racers that have set records, plus all the 400-600 + plus HP street/strip engines we build on a regular basis. don't let my Buick be a representation of what im capable of, because its not..i finished that car in the pits @ midnight before the race..had about 10 miles on it from driving around in the pits, which is about enough time just to make sure everything functions & there are no leaks. had no tuning done, on crappy street tires (225/60/15), that spun past the 60ft. mark,& a stock 100+k trans & converter that have probably had better days, & only running 15 psi. boost.& a 3700 + pound race weight, i think it did exceptional. the long block in the car is at least a mid 11 sec. capable engine....if i got rid of its bottlenecks(stock turbo & intercooler, exhaust & actually turn up the boost, etc.)my combo is about as mismatched as it can get, but i did what i could afford & have a solid foundation for a fast car.
thank you for your time, & sorry to hijack this thread.

I'm very happy for your boss. Now get to work on yours and show us what he has taught you and stop riding his coat tail.

 

[counterman]

This apparently is not a new problem. I've had my long block together for 10 months, and had purchased the caps at least 3-4 months before. I had the issue with the Pro Gram caps. Having come out of the parts business, I agree with others here who seem to expect trouble as the only sign that assembly is going correctly! If only the real world was like those tv car shows where an entire car can be restored in 30 minutes, and not even a single snag or curse word is to be found. Good luck, Counterman.

 

[blown okie]

I'm very happy for your boss. Now get to work on yours and show us what he has taught you and stop riding his coat tail.

i'm workin' on it ! time & money!

 

[hboost]

Yep it falls under s#it happens,which is pretty much the norm when your building custom applications. I really think in this guys case he would of been better off just leaving the stock caps on.This seems to be his first rebuild & wanted to try it himself. His previous post in the southwest section stated his intention was to cut out the overpriced middlemen. His theory was why should he be screwed by one of us when he's fully capable of doing it to himself. He bemoaned that I wasn't offering the proper vendor support & a mean spirited old grouch. Now I don't know what I will do. I feel so all alone.

Overpriced Lou, (the turbo buick god)

Why don't you give this guy some real advice; like Anderson did?

(Middlemen have almost fully been eliminated; since you are lingering in the past here.....)

 

[joe_schindler]

Sorry guys; but I didn’t read every word in the post. Looks like the machinist that made the cap used the wrong bearing to set the slot for the tang. The tang won’t hold the bearing in while under load. It’s only there while the block is being assembled. File it off if you want to. The bearing “crush” will hold it in place. You might try 350 bearings and see if the tang is in the right place.

 

[Mike Licht]

The caps are made in the USA by Pro Gram we have been selling them for years. It appears to me that they put the tang on the wrong side of the cap. Since it is a thrust this is non critical if you remove the tang from the bearing. The thrust sides locate the bearing anyway. I have been in contact with them and they will take care of any caps that have this problem. It only happened on one run of thrust caps only (no others) that were made late last year. If you have a thrust cap that has a problem or even just want your checked contact me and I will make the arraingements to get it done. I am willing to do this even if you did not buy the caps from us. This is a great company that make quality products and they are willing to stand behind them.
Mike Licht

 

[Underboost]

Overpriced Lou, (the turbo buick god)

Why don't you give this guy some real advice; like Anderson did?

(Middlemen have almost fully been eliminated; since you are lingering in the past here.....)

You get what you pay for! Also I don't think Lou's overpriced for the time and TLC he puts into his work.

I hope everything get resolved with the cap problem Mike

 

[750H.P.V6]

Lou puts Mutton Love into everything he builds. :biggrin:

Neal