as above cheers andy

 

Checking clearence on bearing etc.

 

its used for sizing bearings on crankshafts and other items, basically its like plasticine and comes in thin strips which you place between a surface eg, your crank and rod then tourque the bolts up, when you strip it down the plasticine will have squashed and gone wider you then compare this width against a guage that comes with it and this tells you what size shells need fitting to the crank

 

Plastigauge is used to accuratly measure the bearing clearance when building an engine.

Cut a small strip of Plastigauge the same width as the journal you want to measure, lay it on the journal, bolt down and tighten the bearing cap and then remove the bearing cap again. You get supplied with a card with all the measurements on. Just compare the width of the plastigauge with the little squares on the card until you find one the same and it will tell you what the clearance is.

 

Some kits also have 2 types of grease you need to apply to allow the plastigauge stuff to spread, hopefully the instructions will be included in the kit you buy