i noticed that all the bearing caps when i removed my oil pan are all connected together by a common plate type thing. am i overlooking something or are the rod bearing bolts extended stud type that hold this plate on by means of 2 more nuts per bearing cap? do i need to take all twelve nuts off to remove that common plate and then make access to my rear bearing cap?

fyi no i dont have a manual....didnt really think id need one for anything other than the torque specs....im a fly by the seat of my pants type of guy

 

That's the girdle. You are correct on removing it. And no, the crank should NOT hit it like in the pic. The pic is a stroker that needs spacers, but it's a nice close up of the additional nuts underneath.