Rod Bolt "Condoms"/Whata U Guys Use ?

Something to prevent me from wrecking the crank on diss***emble/***embly.

Local good parts store had no suggestions.

Help.

Oldmics

 

It's called fuel hose at most auto parts stores. Black.

 

or fresh water line at Home Depot. Clear.

 

I don't know aboutyou but i would never walk into a store & ask for "ROD bolt Condoms"!!
Hope you didn't do that!lol
JimV

 

Clevite part number 2800B1. $1.00 a pair at our shop.

 

That's what I have used. HRP

 

Ditto on the 3/8 fuel hose. Those rod bolt boots that come in rebuilder sets will split or fall off when you really dont want them to....

 

3/8ths fuel line for me, too - make mine Goodyear! But most machine shops and engine parts kits (bearings. etc) will throw in a set of the thin ones (condom!) for free...

 

works great.

 

I've used fuel hose too. However, I also like to use old/new useless spark plug wires. I'll d**** a pair of the wires down the cylinder - one on each side of the crank - and then tap from above using the wires to guide the rod into place.

 

Care and Skill

I bop the piston with the end of a dead blow hammer handle

Helps to turn the engine the right angle on the stand

AND put the rig compressor on the piston with the rod in a rod vice

 

and, the aforementioned fuel hose...

 

fuel hose for me, it's always done the job.

 

You guys aren't very creative.

I stole the vinyl tubing off my antifreeze tester, well, cut it off actually. I can even still use the tester if the filler neck is short!

 

This is what I use...it's thin enough to clear the crank jounals but thick enough to protect.

 

Cheap bastid.....why doncha go get a JOB!?

 

A pair of yellow ones similar to the blue ones Chuckw2 showed. They came with an engine kit years ago and have helped put a lot of engines together. I've also used the fuel hose and plastic tubing.

You might have better luck at the parts house if you ask for "rod bolt boots" rather then rod bolt condoms though.

 

Some may not agree with this one, but I used to build engines for a living and have probably built at least a thousand engines over the last 30 years. It is very rare for me to ever use anything more than two fingers and some caution to guide the rod past the crank when installing piston/rod combo's. The fuel hose / bolt protectors are ok, but you can still scratch the crank if you're not careful.

 

Make the fuel hose long enough to stradle the crank so it guides itself.

 

Most won't agree ..... the world's full of F'N amateurs

 

I have a couple of pieces of some yellow hose that I've had in my toolbox for years, not sure what it was for it where it came from, but it's about perfect, kinda thin, soft and supple....

 

Old spark plug boots. straight ones only, not the 90 degree ones!!!

 

long fuel hose, straddles the crank well.

 

Duck Tape.............................HaHa just messin with ya. 3/8 fule hose.

 

Always called them chop sticks. Would occur to me to use something as cr*** as condom.

 

Spark plug boots as said above

 

Either nothin' at all or long pieces of fuel hose. What ever I have handy.

 

The person who taught me how to ***emble engines did it the same way. Just a little patience and a lot of caution. I have put together more than a few (no where as many as you, though) between my garage and work and never had any trouble. I have on occasion d****d a clean shop rag over the journals as I guided the piston ***embly down. Then you have to go and clean all the lint off though-doesn't save any time.

 

Usually Nothing but my hand, but I have a nice set of aluminum guides that stay in the toolbox.

 

Yeah, you just have to be careful. A lot of the engines I've done use capscrews instead of bolts / nuts anyway. The one I remember as being a real PITA was a Mercedes 4 cylinder diesel that Thermo-Kings used a long time ago. The big end of the rod was bigger than the bore so you had to put all 4 pistons in from the bottom before you put the crank in.