I was wonbdering, what do you do with the old babbit thrust washers, when you replace them?
Do you keep them as reminders why you changed them
or do you send them to your favorite engine rebuilder who can re-babbit your block, or do you just throw them out ? I realize the material is not expensive but why waste it.?
John
John -- I don't believe the thrust washers are the same material used for main and rod bearings. Both are called babbit, but not the same composition.
If you don't want to keep old thrust washers, throw them away. Likely it's not the same type of babbitt in the old rear axle thrusts as in the engine. I suspect the crack prone rear axle thrusts had lead in the babbitt mix while the engine babbitt was composed of 86% tin, 7% copper and 7% antimony only.
Drop a rear end washer flat on the concrete floor and it will shatter
Old babbitt should NEVER be mixed with new when pouring mains or rods in an engine. Too many contaminants in it, plus you don't know what the composition was. Even when pouring fresh babbitt you really should only melt enough to do the job unless you know how to properly handle it after the job is done. Heat changes it's structure. That is what I have been told and read about the subject.