Connecting Rod Question

[PlumcrazyRR]

Ok, I know this is probably going to stir up a bunch of different opinions depending on someone's stance on something. I know I am not going to get an answer here, just opinions. Ok, now that we have that over with, I am going to dive into the ever loved question about connecting rods.

1970 Roadrunner, 440, 4 speed, 750 4 bbl, 906 heads, stock hp manifolds, aftermarket intake, a little extra cam, 10-ish to 1 CR(not set in stone yet), as you see nothing crazy

I have a stock set of six pack rods that I have not had checked out yet, so not a lot of money invested as of yet. Before I invest any money in said six pack rods, I was wandering if these 440source rods would be worth a damn in a mainly stock engine?
http://store.440source.com/Connecting-Rods-RB-5140-Forged-Steel-NEW-Set-of-8/productinfo/200-1015/

If not, what would be the best route to go? Remember this is not going to be a strip car, but mainly a weekend cruiser. I am open to any suggestions and I will filter responses and come to a conclusion as I deem fit.

Sorry to bring up this topic again, just couldn't find a direct answer for what I was looking for in a recent search on the forum and wasn't sure if there were any new products out that may not have been covered. Help me with this and I swear I won't bring up cams. Haha. Thanks to everyone in the best site ever!

 

[62MAX]

Ok, I know this is probably going to stir up a bunch of different opinions depending on someone's stance on something. I know I am not going to get an answer here, just opinions. Ok, now that we have that over with, I am going to dive into the ever loved question about connecting rods.

1970 Roadrunner, 440, 4 speed, 750 4 bbl, 906 heads, stock hp manifolds, aftermarket intake, a little extra cam, 10-ish to 1 CR(not set in stone yet), as you see nothing crazy

I have a stock set of six pack rods that I have not had checked out yet, so not a lot of money invested as of yet. Before I invest any money in said six pack rods, I was wandering if these 440source rods would be worth a damn in a mainly stock engine?
http://store.440source.com/Connecting-Rods-RB-5140-Forged-Steel-NEW-Set-of-8/productinfo/200-1015/

If not, what would be the best route to go? Remember this is not going to be a strip car, but mainly a weekend cruiser. I am open to any suggestions and I will filter responses and come to a conclusion as I deem fit.

Sorry to bring up this topic again, just couldn't find a direct answer for what I was looking for in a recent search on the forum and wasn't sure if there were any new products out that may not have been covered. Help me with this and I swear I won't bring up cams. Haha. Thanks to everyone in the best site ever!

I wouldn't even consider the heavy 6pk rods,for what you are doing, a set of properly reconditioned LY rods would be more than adequate

 

[Durandal25]

Ok, I know this is probably going to stir up a bunch of different opinions depending on someone's stance on something. I know I am not going to get an answer here, just opinions. Ok, now that we have that over with, I am going to dive into the ever loved question about connecting rods.

1970 Roadrunner, 440, 4 speed, 750 4 bbl, 906 heads, stock hp manifolds, aftermarket intake, a little extra cam, 10-ish to 1 CR(not set in stone yet), as you see nothing crazy

I have a stock set of six pack rods that I have not had checked out yet, so not a lot of money invested as of yet. Before I invest any money in said six pack rods, I was wandering if these 440source rods would be worth a damn in a mainly stock engine?
http://store.440source.com/Connecting-Rods-RB-5140-Forged-Steel-NEW-Set-of-8/productinfo/200-1015/

If not, what would be the best route to go? Remember this is not going to be a strip car, but mainly a weekend cruiser. I am open to any suggestions and I will filter responses and come to a conclusion as I deem fit.

Sorry to bring up this topic again, just couldn't find a direct answer for what I was looking for in a recent search on the forum and wasn't sure if there were any new products out that may not have been covered. Help me with this and I swear I won't bring up cams. Haha. Thanks to everyone in the best site ever!

....if the six pack rods have not been polished too much and the wrist pin holes are speck then they are probably good to go. There has to be enough meat on them to balance. A new set from 440 may cost more up front, but may save your project time and money later sir. What crank are you going with, forged I assume?

 

[PlumcrazyRR]

....if the six pack rods have not been polished too much and the wrist pin holes are speck then they are probably good to go. There has to be enough meat on them to balance. A new set from 440 may cost more up front, but may save your project time and money later sir. What crank are you going with, forged I assume?

This is the crank that came with the motor. This is my first time building a mopar, so not too familiar with a lot of stuff. I bought the motor separate non running. I also have the six pack dampner already also.

 

[69Bee]

It is a steel crank, but what is the casting number? As far as the rods go, skip the 440 source rods, get a set of LY rods, resize them, ARB bolts, and you will be fine. After that, either keep the 6-Pak rods, or sell them.

 

[PlumcrazyRR]

It is a steel crank, but what is the casting number? As far as the rods go, skip the 440 source rods, get a set of LY rods, resize them, ARB bolts, and you will be fine. After that, either keep the 6-Pak rods, or sell them.

I do not recall seeing a casting number on the crank when I took the pics. Where would that be at? The crank and motor are not with me at the moment. Does something look off with it?

 

[Meep-Meep]

Those 440 source rods seem like the deal of the day, especially when a set of ARP bolts and the labor to resize originals is nearly the same as what these go for. But....................You know they are made in China and possibly finished in the US, but how consistent is the alloy? Metallurgically speaking there might be inconsistencies. The economics of cheap Chinese parts also has to be considered. At $299.00 440 Source is making money on that - and rightfully so. They probably buy them from an importer and that guy makes money too. How many layers or people are making money off the same part? So the end result is a $XX.XX set of rods with $75.00 rod bolts? The point is how much quality can there be? I bought a set of K1's for my hemis and those are probably the best there is as far as Chinese forgings go. And they were not $299.00. That said I have used stock MoPar rods resized with new bolts quite successfully (so far - knocking on wood). Nothing is 100% but a good shot peen stress relief and reworking of factory rods is not a terrible idea for a street car. Even the six pack rods will do fine. But if 440 Source can supply real material certs with the rods stating the quality of the alloy, and the forging process is done properly, then they will be fine. I think any good foundry takes a sample of each batch of material before they get too far along in the manufacturing process. But for $299.00 I doubt it.

 

[PlumcrazyRR]

Those 440 source rods seem like the deal of the day, especially when a set of ARP bolts and the labor to resize originals is nearly the same as what these go for. But....................You know they are made in China and possibly finished in the US, but how consistent is the alloy? Metallurgically speaking there might be inconsistencies. The economics of cheap Chinese parts also has to be considered. At $299.00 440 Source is making money on that - and rightfully so. They probably buy them from an importer and that guy makes money too. How many layers or people are making money off the same part? So the end result is a $XX.XX set of rods with $75.00 rod bolts? The point is how much quality can there be? I bought a set of K1's for my hemis and those are probably the best there is as far as Chinese forgings go. And they were not $299.00. That said I have used stock MoPar rods resized with new bolts quite successfully (so far - knocking on wood). Nothing is 100% but a good shot peen stress relief and reworking of factory rods is not a terrible idea for a street car. Even the six pack rods will do fine. But if 440 Source can supply real material certs with the rods stating the quality of the alloy, and the forging process is done properly, then they will be fine. I think any good foundry takes a sample of each batch of material before they get too far along in the manufacturing process. But for $299.00 I doubt it.

I was suspect on the rods for the price. I just read the description again and it is very deceiving. They throw in a big Made in America statement, but that is actually just describing the ARP bolts. The rods themselves are claimed to be checked and sized on American equipment, but it does not say where this is happening at. I will contact them today to see what they have to say about them after I get off work, but I think I have a pretty good idea which way I will be going going now. Thanks.

 

[Cranky]

Where are Eagle rods made? Picked up a new set from an individual for 350. As for the 6 pack, the weak link is the rod bolt. The rest of the rod is nice and strong....but is heavy. Direct Connection use to have a rod that was even better than that 5140 rod. IRRC is was a 8640?

 

[Sonny Black]

We sometimes forget these Factory motors and parts are engineered to work in concert with each other.....and experimentation can cause problems...just ask the King of screw up, Sonny!...'er me.:iamwithstupid:

 

[PlumcrazyRR]

Where are Eagle rods made? Picked up a new set from an individual for 350. As for the 6 pack, the weak link is the rod bolt. The rest of the rod is nice and strong....but is heavy. Direct Connection use to have a rod that was even better than that 5140 rod. IRRC is was a 8640?

I am not really too familiar with the engine building side of things myself. That is kind of why I was bringing this up and trying to research as much as I can. I am more of an electrical guy myself trying to learn as I go and hope i do right.

We sometimes forget these Factory motors and parts are engineered to work in concert with each other.....and experimentation can cause problems...just ask the King of screw up, Sonny!...'er me.:iamwithstupid:

I have no issues going back stock. I actually prefer that. It is just a 40 plus year set of rods, with some wear and tear has me a little worried. I am not familiar enough with the engine side of things to just make that decision, so that is why I was bringing up the discussion to listen to a few opinions.

 

[lewtot184]

last month or so i went thru a rod search for an engine i'm currently doing. i looked at the 440 source i-beam. it's a little heavier than an LY rod (846grms), 866grms, but the weight is probably on the big end. the eagle rods are 880grms, too heavy for what i was doing but probably ok for a more serious build. PEP has an i-beam thats supposed to be around 800grms and i believe the big end is bushed. the PEP rod is probably what i will use on the "next" build with a KB hyper piston. i went with the 440 source h-beam for a .990 pin on the current build. all of this being said, i wouldn't be afraid to use a rebuilt LY rod on a moderate street build. the 6-pak rod will work but the extra weight may cause a balancing headache with out the counter weighted balancer and related parts.

something else to keep in mind is that the weight of the piston has a lot to do with durability of the rod. using a "lesser" rod with a lighter piston may be more durable than a heavy rod/piston combo.

 

[69Bee]

A resized set of LY rods will work perfectly fine. I charge the following to recondition a set of V8 rods:

Clean-$20 ($2.50 ea)
Resize-$96 ($12 ea)
New ARP bolts-$73.60 (std), $92.59 (Wave-Loc)
EPA-$3
Total $192.60 (std), $211.59 (Wave-Loc)

The bs on the 440Source site about the cycles for the rod :blahblah:, is just that......BS! That is just their marketing dept trying to convince you to buy their rods. You are not building a 1500+HP alcohol motor, just a nice street bruser. The LY rods will suffice just nicely, and cost less.

 

[PlumcrazyRR]

Thanks everyone for the info! Starting to get a better idea on what I am going to do now. Probably go on a search for some LY rods or have my six pack rods cleaned and resized. And new ARP bolts of course. So many decisions to make when it comes to the engine. I will be so happy when it is built and running.