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Egge Machine Company. A History of Service
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Babbitt Bearing Service
In 1839, Isaac Babbitt (left) received the first patent for a white metal alloy that showed excellent bearing properties. Since then, the name babbitt has been used for other alloys involving similar ingredients. Babbitts offer an almost unsurpassed combination of compatibility, conformability, and embedability. They easily adapt their shapes to conform to the bearing shaft and will hold a lubricant film. Foreign matter not carried away by the lubrication is embedded below the surface and rendered harmless. These characteristics are due to babbitt's hard/soft composition. High-tin babbitts, for example, consist of a relatively soft, solid matrix of tin in which are distributed hard copper-tin needles and tin-antimony cuboids. This provides for "good run-in" which means the bearing will adsorb a lubricant on the surface and hold the lubricant film. Even under severe operating conditions, where high loads, fatigue problems, or high temperature dictate the use of other stronger materials. Babbits are often employed as a thin surface coating to obtain the advantage of their good rubbing characteristics.
 For the past 20 years, Egge is recognized as an expert in Babbitt work on pre-war vehicles. Our Babbitt King removes and replaces worn bearing material on main bearings, connecting rod bearings, and (some) cam bearings on antique and vintage engines. The general era of engines that used babbitt bearing material range from the early 1900s to the middle 1930s with the exception being the Chevrolet 216cid and 235cid engines, which used babbitt for the connecting rod bearings as late as 1953!
 Babbitted bearings are typically made with an outer shell of either steel or bronze that holds a layer of babbitt material on the inside. The babbitt material acts as the bearing surface which wears over time of operation. However, in some engine applications there are no actual bearing shells. In these applications the "main bearings" are poured directly into the block and main caps. After examination, our babbitt specialist melts out the old babbitt material and pours a new layer of babbitt and machines it to a new semi-finished bearing. This semi-finish includes the machined oil grooves and/or oil pockets. The next step is to have a well-equipped shop perform an align-bore to size the semi-finished bearings to accept the crankshaft.
 Some connecting rods have an insert or shell to hold the babbitt material, other times, when there is no outer shell, the babbitt material is poured directly in the rod itself. With the connecting rods, our babbitt specialist can cut the material to size if supplied with the appropriate crank size.
Egge uses "4X" babbitt material, which is a nickel based aircraft quality babbitt material selected for its top quality and long life. All pricing for babbitt work is done on a case by case review and will depend on the length of time and level of difficulty to perform to work.
Reminder to all of our DIY's and shop mechanics: Please do not discard any worn parts from your project vintage or antique engine, as they may be crucial for proper identification of the correct replacement part or needed for remanufacturing.
Pump Remanufacturing
 Did you know that oil pressure rates and heart rates are connected? A sudden drop in oil pressure will raise the heart rate of a seasoned hot rodder faster than a bikini clad beauty. Many causes can be found for a decrease in pressure and no matter the cause Egge Experts are there to help. For over a decade our specialists have solved hundreds of pump issues. From cracked oil-pumps to frozen water pumps, we have the experience, machinery and tools to get your juices flowing again.
When an oil pump core is received for remanufacturing, Egge dismantles it and places it in a hot tank to clean the surface and interior passages, removing oil and debris. It is then baked in an oven to remove the residue and then shot-peened to ensure all the ash and residue have been removed. The oil pump is then inspected for cracks and flaws. Once the pump passes inspection, it is then assembled with the necessary gears and shafts.
Generally the oil pump will spin at engine speed so that the faster the engine spins the more volume of oil flows through the oil pump and the higher the oil pressure. Therefore, the functioning of the control valve of every oil pump and timing cover are tested at low and high revolutions. The volume and pressure output are also measured. This test is conducted using S.A.E. #10 oil at 200 degrees F.
All pumps meet and/or exceed the original manufacturer's specs and are guaranteed against defective materials or workmanship to work properly every time.
And this is part of the magic here at Egge. If you get into an area of the re-building of your motor where you need a little extra help or guidance. Give our Egge Experts a call to help you through the problem. Working late at night? Visit our website for fantastic tech articles and answers to others' who have "Asked Bob" for help.
Next Month look forward to our Shop Tour. Follow a piston as it makes it's way from a raw ingot to boxed ready for you to install.
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ASK BOB
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Bob Egge, is the third generation of Egge engine
experts. His commitment is to provide machine shops, engine builders
and classic car hobbyists with quality replacement parts. This
continues a 94-year family tradition of excellence, fulfilling a legacy
begun by his grandfather a long time ago - to remain the world's source
for obsolete engine parts.
Click HERE to ask Bob a question or to view previously answered questions.
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Partner Profile: WEBRODDER
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 Are you looking for a reliable source for engine building tips? You've got to check out Doc Frohmaders' Webrodder.com website. There are thousands of pages of content to help you with virtually any build. From Mild to Wild Doc will help you through the build.
Click on the photo or click here to access articles linked on our website.
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