Changing the main bearing

After tearing the engine down and bead-blasting with glass beads, it's time to try to put it back together. the trick is to first clean all the screw location and air vents in the main engine block, then degrease the location of the bearing before doing anything. Here are all the parts before reassembling: crank case, the thin shim that goes in bearing well, a new 6203 RS (sealed) bearing, the crank shaft and the seal that goes on the other side. You will also need some bearing sealant or glue to make sure it won't move

Once you have all the parts ready, you will need to heat the crank case around the bearing location, you can heat it up in an oven, I use a blow torch, making sure to stay far away from the case as aluminum will melt if overheated. This is just so that the metal expands and pushing both the shim and the bearing is easier

To make sure it goes straight, I start with the bearing and a mallet, then insert the crankshaft and use my hydraulic press to push it down in position all the way.

Last bit to do, while the case is still warm, push back the aluminum lip with a small hammer to fold over the bearing and seal it, make sure if you attempt this to do it slowly and softly not to break the aluminum of the case

That's it, it's in place, I will now leave it alone to allow for the bearing compound/glue to polymerize and harden, then the rest of the engine will be added..