Marking main bearing caps

How are you guys marking your main bearing caps during disassembly?

Also, what else has to be marked?

Thanks,

Matt

 

they are already numbered and they start with 1 (front) and work their way back

 

Thank you, good point. I noticed that too. Just got concerned, as I read that a few times in articles. Maybe Chevy is different.

 

Yea caps are marked with numbers and arrows, rods I mark with a die set, harbour freight/Northern tool has them

 

I use a cheap engraver on mine. Heard that when you stamp then with a die it can cause the metal to transfer from that all the way to bearing surface and cause a tight spot. Not sure how true, and u would guess once rods are resized that would be gone anyways, but the engraver is almost as fast and no wot ties of that

 

Keep your rod caps on the rods they go with, at all times, no matter what. Even if you do mark them, which you should... keep them together. You never want to have any doubt of which cap goes to which rod.

If you're trying to reuse cam and lifters, you need to "mark" your lifters. I put mine in a 16 slot ice cube tray, and wrote "FRONT" at the front. Not bad for $0.50. Really though if this is a "rebuild", don't reuse cam and lifters.

It might be vaguely helpful to mark which head is which. They are the same part, but the unused threaded holes on each head may be in worse shape than the ones that were populated.

If the same pistons are going back into the block I would make sure to put them back in the same holes. No reason to tempt fate. Again, if this is a "rebuild", you're probably not reusing pistons.

 

Yes to all of the above!
Throw out your used lifters, they're junk no matter what

 

When you wack them with the dye your wacking them at the bolt close to the parting line. Any force is transferred to the bolt. So no worries wacking them with a dye. A die will work better though. Wacking opposite the bearing is probably not good.

 

Thanks for all the info guys. I started a different thread for the caps because I forgot to look back at this thread. Lots of good information here.

Sounds like an engraver would be a very safe way to go. What about one of those preloaded punches that you don't have to use a hammer for? Do these leave a big enough mark?
I like the ice cube tray idea!

My lifters and cam are high mileage and the cam is stock. they won't be reused.

 

Preload punch can work but all u get is a little dot.