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We ship world wide.
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Choosing the Right Connecting Rod
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Life is never easy for a connecting rod. With every turn of the crankshaft, it is alternately stretched
and compressed. The motion of the crank and pistons tries to snap the beam in half, while the big
and little ends are baked with intense heat. Considering the environment they live in, the survival
rate among connecting rods is remarkably high. Of course, there are steps you can take that will
extend the lifespan of any connecting rod used in racing or high performance.
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Stock connecting rods
can be reworked to
perform perfectly in
street and certain limited
racing applications.
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Selection and Inspection
The type of connecting rods you choose will depend on how the engine will be used. If you are
assembling a high-performance street engine, then it is likely that you will be using production
connecting rods. Drag-racing engines are usually outfitted with aluminum rods, when the rulebook
allows a choice, while road racing, marine, and circle-track motors depend on specialty steel rods.
(Exceptions to these general rules, of course, would be those “limited” classes that restrict
competitors to original factory parts.) Each type of connecting rod has distinct advantages and
shortcomings that make it best suited for certain applications.
On the street, low cost and ease of installation tips the scales in favor of stock rods. The
horsepower levels attainable even with supercharged street engines will not overtax a good forged
steel factory rod. Since these rods are designed specifically for the engines in which they are
installed, clearance problems between the rods, cam, and block are eliminated (as long as a stock-
stroke crankshaft is retained).
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In highly modified drag-racing engines, aluminum rods make more sense. Although the fatigue
factor disqualifies aluminum for endurance racing, these rods are brutally strong for short periods
of time—a characteristic that is ideal for high-rpm drag engines. The price of aluminum rods is not
much higher than the cost of preparing a set of stock rods. Also, most manufacturers can supply
virtually any combination of rod length and bearing size, which suits drag racing engine builders
who are constantly juggling strokes, pin heights, and bearing diameters in search of a competitive
edge.
Until recently, the choices in specialty steel connecting rods were quite limited. For many years the
famous Carrillo forged, premium-steel connecting rod had a virtual monopoly on this market. The
growing popularity of oval-track racing has enticed a number of companies into manufacturing their
own steel rods. Also, the factories have stepped up with their own off-road rods, like the Chevrolet
“Bow Tie” forgings. If you are racing a small-block Chevrolet, you have at least six alternatives when
selecting steel connecting rods. Of course, if you are planning on running a Morris Minor at
Daytona, your choices will be somewhat more limited. The going rate for specialty steel rods is
$600 to $1,000 a set—a big check to be sure, but a bargain when you consider how much damage
a broken rod can cause. Top quality specialty rods require virtually no preparation. You inspect
them (for shipping damage), clean them, and install them.
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Growing popularity of oval-track racing has prompted
aftermarket manufacturers to introduce new steel
connecting rods. Differences in beam sections and
big ends are apparent.
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Aluminum rods are ideal for drag
racing. They are reasonable in price,
very strong, and available with a
variety of lengths and bearing bore
diameters. Remember that the low
fatigue strength of aluminum demands
regular rod replacement.
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Getting a set of stock rods ready for assembly is not so easy. The first task is to do a bit of
research to determine exactly what you’ve got. For example, Chevrolet has produced several
different versions of the venerable small-block rod, just as Chrysler and Ford have offered various
grades of connecting rods for their respective performance engines. It makes little economic sense,
though, to pay more money for features that you won’t use. The difference between a premium
Chevy LT-1 connecting rod and an ordinary small-block rod, for example, is simply the extra
operations performed at the factory. But if you are already planning on polishing, shotpeening,
bushing, resizing, and installing new bolts in your connecting rods, then the high-dollar cores offer
little, if any, advantage.
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Black carbon deposits around the big
end of used connecting rods are
warning signs that the overheated
bearing was on the verge of spinning.
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If you have a number of stock rods to choose from,
favor the rods with small balancing pads. They are
likely to have more metal in the crucial beam section!
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Most connecting rod cores come out of well-used engines. Although there is no way of knowing how
many cycles a rod may have endured, the instances when a rod simply breaks are rare indeed.
Almost all rod failures are caused by a lack of lubrication due to either the fasteners yielding or the
bearing spinning. Black baked-on carbon around the big end of the rod indicates that the bearing
had overheated and was on the verge of spinning. If your rod cores are still in one piece and they
show no signs of spun bearings, then you can proceed with the inspection procedure.
The surest way to find flaws inside a connecting rod is to have it X-rayed. For most applications,
however, a simple Magnaflux inspection will reveal surface cracks that could cause problems later.
The procedure for Magnafluxing connecting rods is similar to checking a crankshaft.
Each individual rod is magnetized, saturated with magnetic fluid, and then examined under a black
light. Cracks show up as bright green lines under the florescent lamp. Our connecting rod advisor
for this section, Larry Hollum, notes that relatively few rods are rejected during Magnaflux
inspection. He prefers to grind the die marks off the rod beams before inspecting them. This
reveals any “cold lap” flaws that might otherwise be concealed.
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Larry Hollum begins the Magnaflux
inspection by magnetizing the connecting
rod.
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The rod is saturated with magnetic
inspection fluid and examined under an
ultraviolet light. Flaws show up as bright
green lines.
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Previous | Next
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This has been a sample page from
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The Step-By-Step Guide to Engine Blueprinting
by Rick Voegelin
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Practical Methods for Racing and Rebuilding
How to buy machine shop work
Selecting and preparing parts
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This completely revised and updated version containing an
additional 32 pages is simply the best book you can buy on
engine preparation for street or racing! Rick Voegelin's highly
acclaimed combination of savvy writing and wrenching skills puts
this best-seller in a class by itself. All important preparation
techniques are clearly illustrated and explained in this easy-to-
read text. Engine Blueprinting shows the reader how to use
precision measuring tools, calculate compression ratios, degree a
camshaft, and much more! Loaded with helpful advice, this book
should be in every enthusiast's tool box.
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Click below to view sample
pages from each chapter.
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"Rick Voegelin's book, The Step-by-Step Guide to Engine
Blueprinting, is an excellent source of performance-oriented
engine building information for the beginner and the seasoned
veteran alike. This digest should be in every enthusiast's greasy
mitts."-- Steve Magnante, HOT ROD
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Chap. 1 - Engine Blueprinting
Chap. 2 - Cylinder Block
Chap. 3 - Crankshaft
Chap. 4 - Connecting Rods
Chap. 5 - Pistons
Chap. 6 - Cylinder Heads
Chap. 7 - Camshaft
Chap. 8 - Compression Ratio
Chap. 9 - Balancing
Chap. 10 - Assembly Tips
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Softbound
8-3/8 x 10-7/8
160 pages
400 b/w photos
Item #SA21
Price: $18.95
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Click here to buy now!
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How to Rebuild the Small-Block Ford
This 144 page book guides you step by step through a rebuild,
including: planning, disassembly and inspection, choosing the
right parts, machine work, assembling your engine, first firing and
break-in. It also gives you helpful hints and tips on performance
upgrades, including cams, heads, ignition, induction, and more. It
also points out problem areas to watch for, professional builder
tips, jobs that need special care or special tools, and more.
Includes 495 color photos and covers the Ford 289, 302, 351W,
351C, 351M and 400.
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Price:
$22.95
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Turbochargers
How to select and install the correct turbo for big or small
horsepower gains. Discusses turbocharger design, sizing,
matching, controls, carburetion, exhaust, ignition,
intercooling, marine and high altitude applications. The most
comprehensive book available. Turbo suppliers and kit
maker addresses are included. “Everything you could possibly
need to know about turbochargers for automotive applications
is in this book.
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Price:
$18.95
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How to Build Big-Inch Ford Small Blocks
By increasing the bore and stroke of your current engine, you can
add those cubic inches without the hassle of switching to a big
block. George Reid thoroughly explains the building of a small
block Ford stroker, paying special attention to the effect that
increasing the bore and stroke have on the engine as a whole.
Also included is a complete guide to factory head and block
castings, as well as aftermarket block and head guides, so you
can choose exactly the right parts for your project.
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Price:
$18.95
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Payment, Shipping & Sales
Tax: Iowa
residents must pay 7% sales tax. Items usually ship
within one
business day of receipt of payment! Standard shipping is a flat rate of
$4.95 to
anywhere in the United States with USPS Media Mail.
Priority Mail shipping is available for an
additional $2.95, or
$7.90 for shipping. Shipping is combined and discounted for multiple item
purchases as follows: first item regular shipping price, add
$1.95 for each additional item. For
purchases of 3 or more items
shipping is automatically upgraded to Priority for no additional
charge! We offer world wide shipping and ship to Canada and Mexico
with USPS Priority Mail
International for $11.95, and to most
locations in Europe, Australia, Asia, Japan and South
America for
$14.95. Satisfaction is Guaranteed. Our store has a NO HASSLE RETURN
POLICY
within 7 days of purchase.
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