Mic the journal to see how far out of round it is. Maybe try going with a few thousandths undersize bearing or just the top shells of an undersize set and regular size shells in the bottom to tighten the clearance marginally.
You're right -If the journal is out of round NO repair or mix of rod bearings will last--been there done that. It all hinges on the rod journal shape. Finish is secondary. J.Rob
