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Mon Sep 15, 2025 4:43 am

I've stripped my engine down to try and fix a few issues. I don't know much about the engine - the short block was sourced from a scrap VW about 25 years ago, I believe it was originally in a type 3, but was installed in my beetle when it's original engine expired.
I measure the thrust face at 21mm, however, the bearing sits very snug - does this imply that the thrust face has previously been cut for an oversized bearing?

Mon Sep 15, 2025 9:04 am

21mm would imply it's been cut to the first undersize.

That said, and maybe it's the camera lighting or angle, but it looks like it's tapered considerably thinner from the outer circumference of the thrust surface to the inner circumference. If so, you may be looking at another thrust cut anyway.

If that is indeed the situation, perhaps it can be cut less than the next undersize (20mm), just enough to clean it up, and a +2 thrust bearing can be lathed thinner to whatever thickness the thrust needs to be to fit the case between the first undersize and the second.

Does that make sense?

Mon Sep 15, 2025 10:17 am

Thanks, I think the taper is just an affect caused by a shadow - it looks pretty square to the naked eye.