[FEDDO]

What would be an opinion on rods for a 650 hp ,7500 rpm drag eng? sbc,on alcohol. opinions and brands.

[runn141]

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[FEDDO]

?

[paulerow]

I raced drag cars in the 70's and circle track most recently, rods and pistons are really good now, pick Carrilos or some top end rods, Wisco's or some Manley Platinum series pistons, light weight crank, top dollar items, and they will take the beating racing puts on a engine. TRW's and stock "X" chevy rods are good for a mild street engine, but real heavy reciprical mass for a top line racing engine.

[DoubleVision]

Oliver rods.

[471A]

Consider also rod length. Instead of the factory 5.70 length, 6.00 or 6.125 is preferable for optimum torque/horsepower in a SBC, assuming there is sufficient clearance for the cam journals, etc. Also, Scat makes excellent race caliber rods for SBC.

[techinspector1]

Originally Posted by 471A

Consider also rod length. Instead of the factory 5.70 length, 6.00 or 6.125 is preferable for optimum torque/horsepower in a SBC, assuming there is sufficient clearance for the cam journals, etc. Also, Scat makes excellent race caliber rods for SBC.

Please scroll down on this page and read Tech Tip 2005, written by Ed Iskenderian, before you try to pass this gibberish off onto anyone else. Thank you.
http://www.iskycams.com/techtips.php

[barnym17]

Crower, Oliver best bet.A good aluminum rod for drag is not a bad idea several good ones out there.Stay away from chinese grenades such as eagle, scat, cat, etc. An eagle can be made to work but the rods will need resized before instalation as they are all over the place from the factory on big and small end sizing.And after you pay to have this done you could have the crowers , carrilo or oliver for the same amount.

[technicaltom]

just wondering if 15 to 25 year old used chevy rods would be better than new scat eagle cat etc. then?. Secondly are previously named rods all equally junk/bad.?

[paulerow]

I have been running Eagle SR's in my circle track 355 engine, and with Wisco flat top pistons, great solid lifter cam, double springs on Vortec heads with roller rockers, I have run these engines up to 7000, and only one time did I spin a rod bearing, now I have 4 years on that engine.

[SlowGTA]

Eagle and Scat rods are not Crower or Corrillos but they don't cost what those rods do either. There are THOUSANDS of drag, circle track, and street cars running these rods with out a problem. If you have bottomless pockets then the choice is easy but for the rest of us compromise and risk is the name of the game.

I have raced both ways, dump everything I have at the time into the engine and cringe every time something breaks or throw them together with what I've got or can afford ( or can horse trade for!) and see what she'll do! I have more fun with the latter. No matter what you buy, if you race you WILL break stuff

I don't know how much racing experience you have or what your goals are but there's alot of fun to be had at the track without spending your kids college fund!

I'm not saying there's no good reason to buy top of the line, what I'm saying is I'd rather be racing "junk" than sitting in the bleachers until I can afford "the best".

[barnym17]

Stock rods that have been resized , shot-peened with good bolts installed have been proven to be more reliable than eagle, scat, cat, etc.Check out speedtalk.com, 4mnet etc. where professional engine builders hang out and search their opinions.The Chinese copies look good but that fact is quality control is horrible, American companies can spec the best rod and materials possible but have no real way of controlling the metallurgy of the base rod.ATSM standards such as 5140, 4340 etc. are American standards and to the rest of the world are just numbers with no special meaning.Sure a prepped stock rod has limitations but in this case they are superior.

[barnym17]

In response to the post about 4 years on a 355 at 7000 rpm, Good for you I wish you continued success, but there have many cases with these rods of 1 or 2 nights at 6500 detonating.Now I am not saying that if you get them checked, resized and balanced they can't hold up
especially at such low rpm levels.I have a 355 we have ran off and on for ten years that regularly turns 8000 to 8200 and has seen 9500 on the telltale after a flat or someone running up under the back bumper lifting the wheels of the ground.I don't personally recomend 9000rpm with stock rods but they have held up.This is with 600 horsepower 13.5 to compression and a stock cast crank it do work.In fact most of Chevrolets heaviest loaded engines(Heavy trucks) used cast cranks.The reasoning behind it is while a forging has more ultimate strength it is suceptible to cracking where as the cast one will flex without breaking up to a point.

[SlowGTA]

Barnym17, I think you missed the point of my post..

I didn't say Eagle and Scat were equal to, or superior to the "big boys". I have no doubt that the high dollar stuff is better, but that doesn't mean that you can't race the cheaper stuff. A bowtie block is vastly superior to any stock SBC block but you don't HAVE to have one to race and have fun. If you have the money a Cola and a set of super high dollar rods would be great but there are more years than not that $1000 means the difference between racing and watching for me...I'll take racing with "junk" rods and crank, thanks.


"The reasoning behind it is while a forging has more ultimate strength it is suceptible to cracking where as the cast one will flex without breaking up to a point."

That is an interesting statement. You sure you don't have that back-wards? I've bent a forged crank (and had it straightened) and broken quite a few cast ones but can't remember bending a cast crank. Mine have always seemed to come out in pieces..

[CNC BLOCKS NE]

I don't think I would use a set of stock rods or cast crank in a 650 horse appliction or even a stock block, We use Dyers, Lentz or even may try the Callies rods, Crower.

At 650 horse I would go with a decent crank as well

It depends what you can afford!!!