So about 500 miles after a rebuild my engine seized on a gear change. Finally got it tore down and this is what I found. Engine is a stock 2L with RAT 9590 valve train.

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I'm thinking 3 things could have caused this all related to improper bearing crush.

1) I didn't torque the case correctly.
2) Align bore was not done correctly.
3) Defective bearing.

How do I determine the root cause so I don't repeat it?

I'm hoping the case is still useable. Last time it was align bore to .020, but I noticed Type 4 store sells .030 over main bearing.

I'm assuming the crank is unusable. Can someone tell me the source of a stock 71mm 2.0 crank.

Sometimes common for people to rush fitting the crank and not locate the dowels properly its just sloopy work practice sorry...however how did you not notice the crank was tight as you torqued the case, you would be checking this though the whole process off assembly.
These bearing can be very hard to get off as the whitemetal peels of the bearing shell and sticks it all up on the journal of the crank.
Usually the crank will polish up again if you haven't run the engine long.
The line bore should be fine and its won't be a bad bearing,next time do a dry fit of the crank (no case sealer) and continually rotate the crank and check for tight spots,the dowels must be located correctly in the bearing.

Yep. Your bearing looks like it was not positioned properly on the dowel. You can see the hole where the dowel was forced into the bearing and wallowed out a hole. That caused the oil hole to be offset resulting in a dry bearing. If that bearing won't turn, your crank is likely toast. A dry fit of the cases with crank and cam installed is a must. Turn the crank at least one full turn after every step of the rebuild. It must be a smooth rotation with no resistance.

I hope the crank is ok, but I have a good one if not. I'll make you a deal on it. It's already polished and ready to go.

Good luck.

FIFY


1) maybe but not the cause of this
2) again, maybe but not the cause of this
3) unlikely
4) a certainty.

Okay, so I'll take it to a machinest and see if the crank is usable.

Some additional questions on how to rebuild.

1) Should I change all the cam and rod bearings, and piston rings or is it better to reuse parts that have been broken-in? I did keep everything in order.

2) Same question goes for the cam and lifters. Here are some pictures of my cam and lifter. Don't know if the quality is good enough to give an opinion.

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If it ran for 500 miles then the builder fucked up centering the bearing, when he torqued the case halves it wouldn't spin. He then took it apart and saw his rookie mistake and instead of doing the right thing of replacing the bearing, he did a hack move of using the damaged bearing.

The lifters, the specks concern me if they are gouges or pitting.
Keeping the lifters in order, take two lifters and hold them face to face to a light. They all should be slightly convex.
Cam should be OK, mostly it's a coating (like DFL) wearing off.

Sorry I just realized you did this, didn't intend to come across mean, but the truth is that it is your (the builders) mistake. Unquestionably the case was torqued and when you tried to spin the crank it was locked up. Then it was taken apart and put back together. There is absolutely no way did that engine run if the pin was still misaligned.
The Hail Mary play with the damaged bearing failed.

Appreciate all the comments. Very useful.

For sure I screwed up, not trying to defend myself at all.

I'm just concerned I don't do it again because I never forced the case halves together. I checked by feel and visually that the bearing were in their case saddles and the top case half just dropped on with the seam fully closing from its own weight, no external force or torque.

So how do I verify the main bearings are installed correctly for the rebuild? Are all the pins identical.

So is that what a cam should look like when broken-in properly? I've read that's one of the common failures and would like to reuse this cam and lifter set if I know it broke in correctly. The lifter tops feel smooth and I think the flecks are from residual oil and bright lighting. They wipe away to the touch. There is rocking between lifter faces although some have more rocking than others.

It should easily lay flat, both case halves should meet perfectly.
Start torquing, keep spinning the crankshaft by hand.
If you feel any change of resistance at all, stop, take it apart and start over.

Before you put the bearings on the crank fit them in the case saddles correctly over the pin, then take a sharp knife and score a line across the bearing at the case parting line. Makes it easier to see the orientation of the bearing.

As you torque the large case bolts go slow, check often, making sure that the crank always spins. Once the case is torqued it must spin as smooth as silk and you have to check this before P&C's go on.

Great suggestion, you can see the two offenders from the ends so use marks trick of scribing a line in them.