b230 piston to rod alignment - follow manual or how it was running?

OK, I am rebuilding the bottom end of my b230. Kind of. I had open
heart surgery about a month and a half ago, so I can't lift more than
twenty pounds. Because of this, I decided not to drop the tranny and
change/ grind the crankshaft. Instead I will collect parts, so when
I'm better, I can swap them out. The new bearings will be at the loose
end of spec (.050 clearance), but OK for a few thousand miles until I
can swap out that old crank. The reason I am changing the bearings is
because the exhuast manifold had a lot of soot in it, and I am putting
a rebuilt head on it (sticking valve), and didn't want to ruin it
prematurly with excessive blow-by. There for the rings had to go. And
if I'm taking the pistons out, might as well do the con rod bearings,
etc. etc.

Anyway, when I took the pistons out, the rod numbers are facing toward
the wrong side of the engine (should be facing the oil filter), but the
piston arrow is facing the right way (front of engine). The main
bearings I took out were stamped 8/96, and the rod bearings were
stamped 6/99, so someone put all new bearings in it recently. The rod
bearings looked fine, but the main bearings were pretty torn up,
although not that worn. My machine shop guy said it was probably from
lots of dry starts. The crankshaft, even though the bearings were
toast, is shiny and nice looking?!? The front main bearing and the
middle main bearing were warped so they clung to the crankshaft like
glue, and they don't fit into the holders anymore..... hmmmmmmm... the
rods appear to be slightly out of balance (about 9%), although I am
using a crappy food scale. Would this have toasted the main bearings?
My machine shop said that was OK as well, as long as its not a
performance engine - 10% is acceptable.

So, with that info, should I switch the rods around so the numbers
point the right way (could the main bearing abuse have been from the
rods being flipped?), or should I leave it. OR should I wait until I
drop the new crank in, and do it then. I have torqued the rod bearings
down once, which is the main thing that makes me leary of flipping the
rods. I'm leaning toward waiting and doing it when I install the new
crank, but???

Anybody have advice? I know this ain't exactly the right way to do
things, but I feel alright about it as long as I can get the new crank
in soon, with all new bearings of course. Waste of money, yes, but
that's the way the cookie crumbled...

 

As long as the notch on the piston faces the front of the motor and the
mark on the rod cap faces forward then which side the numbers are on
doesn't matter. They may well have been stamped there by the last person
who had the motor apart.

Bob

 

OK, good! thank you so much!

loren