Not sure how I can tell other then to look for oil. I crawled underneath and there was some oil on the toploader case (not enough to drip) but other then that not much. The bellhousing was more/less clean. How else can I determine their condition without tearing the engine apart (which will be done soon enough by the engine builder)?

 

Smothers, Soaring is right about there being metal in the oil after a rebuild, but I've only ever found very small particles, say, the size of a grain of sand (but usually flat). From what it looks like in the photo, you have some metal that is somewhat larger than that. Hopefully it is just some machining swarf that was caught up somewhere in the motor, but unfortunately, the places that usually are hard to clean swarf out of, are the oil galleries and bearing feed holes. This is the most common cause of early bearing failure, swarf is pumped into the bearings and they shred themselves up.
Do you have an oil pressure gauge? If not its quite easy to hook one up by using a standard factory oil pump sender unit, and aftermarket gauge. If you are getting the knocking after the engine has been running awhile, it does sound like the oil is thinning too much for your bearing clearance. The oil pressure will show this.

 

fast66, thanks for the information. I too thought the pieces of metal were too large to simply be the results of the break-in process. Currently I just have the idiot light for oil pressure, but will take your advice and connect an aftermarket gauge and see if oil pressure declines after she is warmed up and starts the knocking.

 

Finally got the oil pan off and in the bottom was a gold colored piece of metal in the shape of a ring, that is about the thickness of a beer can, and approx. 2 inches in diameter.

Other then that, it was pretty clean.

The engine rebuilder isn't sure what it is from, but is guessing it from the camshaft. Should know more soon.

Anyone have a guess on what the hell happened and what the metal I described is? Remeber the engine only has 1,500 miles since rebuild.

 

could be a piece of cam bearing or something. Dont know how it would go down there though.

 

Thats my guess too.

 

Thrust bearing? Didn't this guy blueprint the engine? He should know the clearances for the main bearings, rod bearings, and the fore-aft movement of the crank. He should also be able to quote the piston ring gap. All these measurements are necessary to properly build an older engine.

FYI, you have a 302...not a 289.

 

I'm not sure about being blueprinted. I recall someone telling me you need a block the has not been bored yet to blueprint it. However it was balanced, deck plated/torque plated and finish honed. He has been building engines for some time and does machine work for local race teams. I was able to watch some of the work in person, and have confidence in his knowledge and abilities. I suppose he could have screwed up somewhere along the way, but I am thinking it was more along the lines of component failure. Should know more after the cam is removed for closer inspection. I'm aware the displacement is 302+. Block is 289 and I tend to refer to it as such.