Crank replace

i cant find oversized "crank saver" thrust bearinging for 351 clev,does anybody know if you can use a 427 fe bearing as they list oversized bearings.seems the dimensions are the same,has anybody done this.

Yes just need to remove the locating tang.

You can find .010" under with .010" wider thrust, and .020" wider thrust... I believe the last time I bought them for a customer in Australia, Don Gross Warehouse ordered them and I had them 2 days later. Don't remember which brand, but I think it was Clevite or King.

thanks guys,i used king 427fe .020 oversize thrust,had to file half the tangs off and drill the cam oil feed hole.the only thing i did not like that they are full groove bearings.

I went thru an exercise on this last year for someone trying to use a cut-down Windsor stroker crank in a 351-C, who was concerned about the larger OD Windsor thrust surface not being fully used on the crank by Cleveland bearings. You'll find that an FE bearing, while it can be made to work in a 351C, may be slightly smaller in dia. than an OEM 351C bearing. The width of the thrust surface is also smaller and varies from different bearing suppliers even for Cleveland stuff. If you have an ancient OEM bearing, measure it and start shopping, but most web sites that list bearings do not give the thrust ODs nor widths, so that's not much help. And NAPA & other big suppliers don't carry FE nor Cleveland stuff on the shelf; they have to order them. Here's what I found by going to a local old-time engine shop that had actual bearings on the shelf:

OEM 351C Bearing OD: 3.920" (TRW? Not sure)
Thrust surface width: 0.430"
Surface area: 4.72 sq. in.

ACL: FE thrust bearing OD: 3.915"
Thrust surface width: 0.414" (looks like there's a slightly larger chamfer at the crank)
Surface area: 4.53 sq. in. (96% of OEM)

You may get lucky and locate a bearing mfgr that makes a 351C or an FE bearing insert thats bigger in surface area than what I found. If you do, PM me. Since the thrust bearing surface is what takes manual clutch reaction force, an undersized bearing with a heavy clutch (plus some driver's habits) could maybe cause premature thrust bearing wear in some engines. During all this, another poster mentioned one can easily increase the oiling to the thrust surface by filing a tiny chamfer across the main bearing parting line- on one bearing half- and only from the oil groove to the 'clutch-in' side thrust surface. Extra oil not needed on the backside surface. Hope this helps.

ACL make them in .010 oversize to suit the thrusts. They are readily available in Oz.