Missing cam saddle caps

[veeman]

I just picked up a 1.6 TD engine (CY code, solid lifter) as part of a deal on a diesel caddy and when I got home, I discovered the cam bearing caps were MISSING from the head!  Yikes!

The PO doesn't know what happened to them and can't seem to find them.   Arrgh!

I know that each head is machined as a unit, but I do have two other NA diesel head sitting around for parts that have their caps.  I've heard stories of people align-boring water-cooled head cam saddles, but I don't know if that's possible in this case if I install replacements.

A friend also told me that it might be possibly to bore out the saddles and fit them with cam shell bearings like they had in the air-cooled engines.  

What do you guys think?  Am I going to be shopping for a replacement head soon or is there a solution?

Thanks in advance.

[vwmike]

Well, depnding on how your bearing caps are already shaped, a good machinist may be able to bore everything straight again without having to put in shells, but the shells are out there....albeit difficult to come by. Right off I want to say someone like GMP used to sell them but I can't remember right now. I would think a machinist would know where to find them.

[veeman]

I just bolted the bearing caps from positions 1,3 and 5 from an NA diesel head on the TD head.  The fit is VERY close.  One side, you can't feel any seam at all and on the other side, you can only feel a slight step between the two...  

If they have to align bore the cam bearing surfaces, that mean that the  whole bearing system would then be oversize,right?

[veeman]

Did some checking and a local machine shop said that they'd probably tackle the job if I can't get things to work just by swapping the caps from another engine (obviously the cam has to turn freely).  

I hear the procedure involves cutting the caps down a few thousands, bolting them down (sans cam), then reboring to make sure they're once again round like the head casting.  He said it'd be $100 or so.

[Mark(The Miser)UK]

Did some checking and a local machine shop said that they'd probably tackle the job if I can't get things to work just by swapping the caps from another engine (obviously the cam has to turn freely).  

I hear the procedure involves cutting the caps down a few thousands, bolting them down (sans cam), then reboring to make sure they're once again round like the head casting.  He said it'd be $100 or so.

I have in the past bought a Quantum (gasser with a seized cam which broke the timing belt) On inspection the cam caps(two of them had semi welded onto the crank. I loosened the offending caps and added a little fine cutting compound turned and tightened turned and tightened. Never gave a problem again (two years use).
Reason for the seizure was No 1 crank/big end shell 'ucked' and drinking all the oil...