crank bearing options?

[sappony]

ok, obviously the mag end bearing for the ltd is a one off by kawi. The bearing od. is the issue and im sure most of you knew that , just not me till now. A. what are my options. B has any one tried the standard ntn bearing that matches the id and width just not the od. and had a machined sleeve made to put around the common bearing, has this been tried? , i am aware that the tolerance would have to be within .001 on all dim. including the out of round. I dont think it would need to be ground at that dim. and simply could be loctited to the outer race. Please feel free to put it all on the table here I'm open to all  suggestions. I would also like to know if theres a bottom half that matches the 81 ltd except for the bearings , for example can you swap the bottom end and simply change the end bearings and some minor items I honestly am not familliar enough yet to know the interchangeability of items. I would like to find a solution that benefits all ltd owners long term, i figure that end bearing has to be an issue because all the crank seals that go bad allow moisture to eat at the bearing. I really would like to keep as much of my original parts as possible. 

[Trucker]

I have heard Jerome Kretzman is able to rebuild those cranks http://www.jdsleds.com/ads/crankshaft/cs.html

[sappony]

I called a friend who has a machine shop. I am going to meet with him during the week to discuss making a collar to fit over the common size bearing. I am still very open to suggestions, so please feel free.

[gixxer6]

Jerome at crankshaft services can get the correct size bearings.  He has rebuilt a couple LTD/Interceptor cranks for me and replaced all bearings with new. 

[sappony]

Thanks Guys,

[sappony]

Here is what i was talking about with the bearing and outer race. my buddy surprised me today and did this for me to which i am very grateful. youll notice its a light press fit and all total i believe it is about .119 thick. he used a high grade steel so theres was no distortion total run out was .0001 yes thats the correct amount of zeros its one tenthousandth total runout. I need to upgrade the bearing, but thats all he had with the correct dimension. All that i need to do is slip it on a crank bearing and it is ready to go. Please let me know what your opinions are on this app. My thought is sooner or later the old bearings will be gone and this may be an alternate solution to a readily available bearing..

[gixxer6]

My opinion?  I'd hesitate to use a smaller bearing in place of a larger bearing, especially when the correct size is available. 

The bearings that came from Crankshaft Services did not appear to be NOS.  One of the cranks that he rebuilt isn't yet installed in the cases.  When I get a chance, I'll take a look and see if there are any part numbers or brand markings on the bearings and report back. 

[sappony]

good point, and I agree, crankshaft services is going to help me out with mine so i have the correct bearing while they are still available. Im not so much worried about the smaller o.d. because theres smaller bearings on all the others. I definitly appreciate you posting the bearing numbers and manufacturer the more options we have the better. 

[gixxer6]

The PTO end is 6207C4.  The Mag side doesn't have numbers on the outside edge.  They appear to be the same bearing as the center two bearings.  They are definitly new, and not OEM Kawasaki bearings.