KING "OEM" Graded Big End Bearings for K Series - Any Good?

[revilla]

Needing a set of big end shells for a rebuild.

I usually use Glyco shells but on this engine all the crank grades are "A" and all the big end grades are "7" so ideally I need all yellow (thin) graded shells. The Glyco ones are "one size fits all" so approximately blue (intermediate) and would run a bit tight where all yellows are ideal.

Car is road use only so I'm not looking for expensive motorsport options.

Choice in graded bearings seems to come down to:

Genuine Land Rover @ £7-ish each.

Various Pattern Parts @ less than £2 each.

KING @ less than £2 each.

The KING branded graded bearings are generally listed as "OEM", implying that KING supplied bearings to either MG Rover or Land Rover, but are priced similar to generic pattern bearings.

Has anyone had experience with KING bearings? Any good?

Obviously I don't want to make false economies and skimp on poor quality bearings, but if the Land Rover ones are actually likely to be KING in a different box then I don't really feel like paying premium of a £5 each for branding.

Thanks,

Andrew

[TomB]

Not bearing, but I've looked at 'OEM' for my Golf and MINI. Its a nightmare. So many firms claim OEM that its very difficult to distinguish. Some research revealed that companies use different suppliers through the life of a vehicle, so a few companies could claim to be 'OE'. Then there is 'OE' and 'OE specification' which isn't necessarily the same. I ended up going with a name I knew, in this instance it was Bosch.

 

You may find the same with bearings. For something you don't want to replace too often, Id be inclined to go with the LR ones as you're unlikely to find a definitive answer from the web.

 

That said, I'm sure Oily will be along soon and provide some advice.

[revilla]

Thanks TomB. Actually I've done some digging on the KING website and it looks that the truth is they are not graded, but one size specified to cover the entire range of the OEM grades. I can't see the housing measurements for each grade in the overhaul manual, but the crank journal measurement ranges are given for each grade and the single KING bearing listed has a range which spans all three grades. I think with some websites such as Brit-Car, when you search for e.g. the yellow grade, the results contain yellow graded parts and generic parts, as they are deemed to fit where a yellow is required. If that's the case, I'd prefer to go graded if I can.

[TomB]

Id ask Dave Andrews, aka Oilyhands

[Superwhite R283]

Interested to hear any replies :o)

[oilyhands]

Use the Glyco ones, OE bearings are now repackaged aftermarket bearings, despite the colour grading they are all the same thickness.

Oily

[revilla]

Thanks Dave as always! Saved me wasting money ... again!

[Roger King]

I gave up worrying with the K after I spent a great deal of time sorting out the gradings  (in old money there is roughly .0002" between grades) according to the markings on block and crank only to then measure the main housings of a brand new block (fully clamped up) and discover that they were .003" out of round.

Good old BMC/Leyland/Rover or whatever they were called at the time. They never changed until they went bust.