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2G Which 7 Bolt Bearings to get?

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Sirius1995

Proven Member
417
88
Jun 15, 2021
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
So rebuilding 160k miles virgin 7-bolt block for daily use but I want it to be reliable and long lasting and mostly stock, other than 16g and fmic.

Which bearings I should buy?
I read the forum that ACL is most recommended.

I don't think nothing has gone up with the size, so I assume I can run standard size bearings?

There was options for extra oil clearance so should I buy those or bone stock ones, for me it sounds better to have more lubrication on crank and rods but is there down side for that why I shouldn't get ones with extra oil clearance?

And I still have balance shafts on, should I get rid of them since they're not that necessary and buy the delete kit or should I just buy a new set of bearings and belt and keep them?

If you have any suggestions or recommendations just let me know.

Ps. I'm trying to use OEM parts as possible, as much as my paychecks allows me to 😅
 
I like King Bearings, they're incredibly consistent. There were some reported issues with ACL a few years back that I just couldn't ignore, but I'm sure they're just fine for you. The only issue is whether the King MB5209XP main bearing is available; I know people that were looking for them over the past year with no success.

Sizing will come down to what your machine shop says - I'm not a fan of cutting cranks, but if they need to run it +0.010" to clean up any damage, that's what you go with. The clearance specs in the factory service manual are 0.008" to 0.020" on the rods and and 0.008" to 0.016" on the mains. DSMers typically like to go 0.020" clearance for a stockish application and 0.025" on a high performance application. Buy your bearings to achieve that.
 
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I haven't run into the issue with the ACL bearings in my rebuilds so I assume whatever it was has been taken care of.
I like a "harder" bearing as opposed to a "soft" bearing. King and ACL both offer their "race" bearing that are tri-metal and should last a long time as long as you get the correct size. The "soft" bearings I refer to are the Alumiglide ones. Those are soft. I don't use them as I think they would wear quicker. I have had one motor that was cut so much (.040) that I couldn't find bearings other than the Alumiglides to fit it. I didn't like it but the customer was ok with it as it was all stock.
As for the balance shafts, I personally would keep them. I have 3 DSM's and only one still has the balance shafts. That car doesn't vibrate as much as the other 2, but it is basically a stock GSX not a modded out car. In a stick shift car, the shafts have been said to help with harmonics on the clutch disk at high rpm shifts but I can't say one way or another if that is a fact on every car, they are all different.
 
I like King Bearings, they're incredibly consistent. There were some reported issues with ACL a few years back that I just couldn't ignore, but I'm sure they're just fine for you. The only issue is whether the King MB5209XP main bearing is available; I know people that were looking for them over the past year with no success.

Sizing will come down to what your machine shop says - I'm not a fan of cutting cranks, but if they need to run it +0.010" to clean up any damage, that's what you go with. There clearance specs in the factory service manual are 0.008" to 0.020" on the rods and and 0.008" to 0.016" on the mains. DSMers typically like to go 0.020" clearance for a stockish application and 0.025" on a high performance application. Buy your bearings to achieve that.
I was not planning to get my engine block to machine shop since there's no need really, I just wanna change bearings since engine has been without use 2 years, nothing has not failed on it
 
You would need to mic the journals of the crank to be sure that it hasn't wore enough to require work. It's the only way to be "sure" you are using the correct size bearing. If you take it apart, look on the back of the bearings for identification. Maybe even take a picture and post it up for us to see.
 
I haven't run into the issue with the ACL bearings in my rebuilds so I assume whatever it was has been taken care of.
I like a "harder" bearing as opposed to a "soft" bearing. King and ACL both offer their "race" bearing that are tri-metal and should last a long time as long as you get the correct size. The "soft" bearings I refer to are the Alumiglide ones. Those are soft. I don't use them as I think they would wear quicker. I have had one motor that was cut so much (.040) that I couldn't find bearings other than the Alumiglides to fit it. I didn't like it but the customer was ok with it as it was all stock.
As for the balance shafts, I personally would keep them. I have 3 DSM's and only one still has the balance shafts. That car doesn't vibrate as much as the other 2, but it is basically a stock GSX not a modded out car. In a stick shift car, the shafts have been said to help with harmonics on the clutch disk at high rpm shifts but I can't say one way or another if that is a fact on every car, they are all different.
Yea I was reading some info of the difference between hard and soft bearings too, and mine is stock shift and was planning to run act clutch/flywheel kit, I'm not against keeping balance shafts, as they're designed for the engine, but I just haven't seen a single 2g with BS's 😅 haha
 
I agree with @Canadian_CD9A, just get a hard bearing since it is a stick car. The thrust bearing is also harder so the dreaded crank walk shouldn't come into play but the heavier you get with the clamp on the clutch, the more wear you will see wear on the thrust bearing thrust sides.
 
You would need to mic the journals of the crank to be sure that it hasn't wore enough to require work. It's the only way to be "sure" you are using the correct size bearing. If you take it apart, look on the back of the bearings for identification. Maybe even take a picture and post it up for us to see.
As far as I know, there has no been crankwalk issue on that crank and been stock until this day, everything feels nice and thighs, only reason I change bearings is that it's been standing still a while, but I can take it to the shop and get everything checked I guess, just not sure if the local shop does work like that, there's not many places around, I graduated as a cnc machinist myself back in 2014, just don't have equipments for them and don't wanna get a job from that career 😅
 
If the crank looks fine (can't feel anything with a fingernail), put some Plasti-gauge on the journal and tighten that cap (rod or main) back down and then measure the crushed Plasti-gauge with its included estimator gauge and you can see how much clearance is on that journal. If it is still in tolerance and the motor was good when last ran, replace with the same bearing size. It is a little time consuming but if you don't have the tools or a shop that does, it will give you and "idea" of what you are working with.
 
If the crank looks fine (can't feel anything with a fingernail), put some Plasti-gauge on the journal and tighten that cap (rod or main) back down and then measure the crushed Plasti-gauge with its included estimator gauge and you can see how much clearance is on that journal. If it is still in tolerance and the motor was good when last ran, replace with the same bearing size. It is a little time consuming but if you don't have the tools or a shop that does, it will give you and "idea" of what you are working with.
is there possibly a youtube video how to do it properly?
 
is there possibly a youtube video how to do it properly?
Check out jafromobile's channel on YouTube. It's almost entirely 4G63-centric how-to videos on building engines, and this is something that gets covered (among a hundred of other incredibly valuable videos).
 
I have been using ACL Aluglide main/rod/bs bearings for daily cars. Zero issue, harder and cheaper than the ACL Race or King XP.
As for the King bearings availability, after covid, King bearings is having an issue in production, actually not only King, many manufacturers have the same issue. You can order without any issues but many of their products are in back order now, so just taking long to receive. The latest update for XP series main bearings for DSM is ETA in November. But we can't be sure about that, in November they may postpone. That's what has been happening. I took almost a year to receive some bearings for my customer that was supposed to be for 2 month ETA. The newer design King XP main bearing has a better oil feed hole, that is nice though.
 
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