Thanks Guys,
That's the kind of info I was hoping for! The engine is not going to be ultra high performance or anything, so I think I will give them a try. Will, here is what got me thinking about placing a load on the crank while tightening caps.
Here is an excerpt from a link that I found on this board:
When assembling thrust bearings:
Tighten main cap bolts to approximately 10 to 15 ft.lb. to seat bearings, then loosen.
Tap main cap toward rear of engine with a soft faced hammer.
Tighten main cap bolts, finger tight.
Using a bar, force the crankshaft as far forward in the block as possible to align the bearing rear thrust faces.
While holding shaft in forward position, tighten main cap bolts to 10 to 15 ft.lbs.
Complete tightening main cap bolts to specifications in 2 or 3 equal steps.
The above procedure should align the bearing thrust faces with the crankshaft to maximize the amount of bearing area in contact for load carrying.
The above info came from this page:
http://www.aera.org/Tech/tb1465r.htm
A similar procedure is mentioned in a generic v8 assembly manual I have, so I thought that it might have some legitimacy
Thanks Again,
Mike
I'm right at home in a filthy garage