All chevy rods are forged steel. They used the standard rods, and the rods with the "X" or a "O" on the rod cap. these were heavy duty rods, but are still nothing special. Most of the Vortec engines came with "PM" rods or powderd metal rods, these are stronger than the classic forged rods. the PM rods look different from the older rods as well.

 

i cant find out what kind of rods i have i found some # on them but have no idea where to look

It depens on what make rods they are. Some makes have #s on them that have no useful meaning. Others have numbers that can be used to identify them. I have access to AERA's database and can look them up for you.

tom

 

Every now and then Chevy "pink" rods will come up in a conversation. What is supposed to be so special about these rods? Or is there anything special about them? Or is telling somebody you have pink rods like telling somebody you have a "3/4" cam kind of thing?

 

All chevy rods are forged steel.

Is that right??? all chevy rods are forged? even the ones in my '75 350 and 400 2 bolt cast piston cast crank (and i thought cast rods)?

 

Every now and then Chevy "pink" rods will come up in a conversation. What is supposed to be so special about these rods? Or is there anything special about them? Or is telling somebody you have pink rods like telling somebody you have a "3/4" cam kind of thing?

Back in the old days when "gay" meant happy, the term "pink rods" was meaningful to hotrodders (I am afraid to guess what it may mean now days).

Ed Pink was a hotrodder who progressed into dry lakes racing and engine building from back in the late 40s and early 50s. and in the 60s became interested in what we now call Top Fuel. During this time, there were no aftermarket rods until about 63/64 when carrillo started making some relatively expensive rods. Ed Pink and a few others had a method of making OEM rods stronger/better for less then the carrillos.

A Pink rod would be reworked for better pin oiling, ground for clearance and verified for 90 degree to the bore, bigger bolts, cleaning up the sharp edges, magnaflux, shot peened, resized on both ends and over all length, and parting lines ground to match. Today we can buy a set of good aftermarket rods for what it costs to do all of this work and they are ready to go for the most part.

If they hold any value at all anymore I am sure it is merely sentimental value to the old farts that still breath.

EDIT: Oh yeah, that 3/4 race cam really was a cam.

 

Thats interesting about the rods.

Oh yeah, that 3/4 race cam really was a cam.

Yeah I know it was. I was referring to the people with the 350s that still say they have 3/4 cams in their engines. As far as I know that was a term used long before I was born.