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I'm debating on which bearings to put in my engine. Been looking at Clevite 77 trimetal bearings for the rods as I think that's where a mild knock is eminating from. Should I do both mains and rods? Any suggestions on what brand to use? It's not modded but have considered getting a throttle spacer for it.

Advice appreciated.

Two days and no reply? Hmm. Being patient here.

if its knocking it may have done some crank damage,you may need more than bearings. as for the brand just go with a quality product.

Not a lot of people rebuilt the 3800's. It really isn't cost effective considering the cost verses a nice used low mileage engine. I have never had one rebuilt myself, but anytime I have seen them rebuilt, they just don't last. The 3800's have tight tolerances.

harofreak00 wrote:...anytime I have seen them rebuilt, they just don't last. The 3800's have tight tolerances.

Why didn't someone tell me this before I rebuilt the one in my 93 SSE? It spun a rod bearing somewhere around 100-120k. It was still going strong when my daughter totaled the car at 195k. It was a long time ago and I don't remember where I got the bearings (NAPA, I think), but I didn't worry about whether they were trimetal-double-covalent-nuclear-shot-peened or just regular ol' standard issue bearings. If you're just doing rod bearings, you might be able to do it without pulling the engine.

rynmcdonald wrote:Two days and no reply? Hmm. Being patient here.

Weekends are slow on the forum...people are generally out doin' stuff.

Sirius wrote:

harofreak00 wrote:...anytime I have seen them rebuilt, they just don't last. The 3800's have tight tolerances.

Why didn't someone tell me this before I rebuilt the one in my 93 SSE? It spun a rod bearing somewhere around 100-120k. It was still going strong when my daughter totaled the car at 195k. It was a long time ago and I don't remember where I got the bearings (NAPA, I think), but I didn't worry about whether they were trimetal-double-covalent-nuclear-shot-peened or just regular ol' standard issue bearings. If you're just doing rod bearings, you might be able to do it without pulling the engine.

I just want to know what bearings would be appropriate for it. It's not a loud knock. But I guess I will drive it until I can really hear it

Whatever is called for as a stock replacement. If you're not doing a high-horsepower build, you don't need any fancy parts. OEM replacements will serve you just fine.

If you hear a knock, there's a good chance you'll need more than bearings. At the minimum you'll need the crank polished, more than likely ground .0010 undersize and the appropriate bearings to make up that gap.

Also, throw the thought of a throttle body spacer out of your mind. That's not a performance upgrade, it's a wallet emptier. There is NO benefit to them on a port-injected engine. They were mildly effective on old TBI and carbureted engines, especially with dual-plane intakes, as it allowed the fuel to more evenly distribute to both sides, but all you're doing is buying a paperweight.