Rod bearings, explained without the panic

Search for this car and you will read about rod bearings within a minute. The problem is real, but it is well understood and entirely fixable.

What is going on

The original bearing clearances were tight, and the specified oil is thick when cold. Over tens of thousands of cold starts the bearings wear faster than they should. Left alone, a worn bearing can fail and take the engine with it.

What we do

• Replace all rod bearings with a revised-clearance design, on every car.
• Measure every journal and record the numbers in your build log.
• Send an oil sample for analysis before and after, so you have a baseline.

Done once and done properly, it stops being something you think about.