Bearing wear down to copper is unacceptable, and could indeed be the
cause of your knock. (Find another advisor!)
You can throw another set of bearings in (check the old ones for size)
and button it back up. However, it would be best to pull the head and
remove the pistons and rods and have the rods re-sized and rebushed,
they all tend to go oval as they wear.
If you pull the head then you will want to have it checked out at a good
machine shop, replace the rings and hone the cylinders. Of course, you
will want to check the clearance of the new bearings with plastigauge,
but if the crank is worn you are SOL. Gee, you are into a complete
rebuild now, so just yank the engine out and drop it off at the machine
shop along with a blank check!
I tend to be an all or nothing type, but my advice to you is to put in
new big end bearings and forget about it for at least another 50,000
miles!
--
Stuart MacMillan
Seattle
'84 Vanagon Westfalia w/2.1
'65 MGB (Daily driver since 1969)
'74 MGB GT (Restoring sloooowly)
Assisting on Restoration (and spending OPM):
'72 MGB GT (Daughter's)
'64 MGB (Son's)
Stripped and gone but their parts live on:
'68 MGB, '73 MGB, '67 MGB GT
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