Ok. So I thought that I was just going for a cam. Things evolved. Wound up pulling the engine out because the deep dump pan would not clear the flex plate. Probably a blessing. Any how. We decided that we're not liking the slight vertical roughness on the cylinder walls. Pistons were too tight ! Always had a problem starting the engine after it got warm. Now that we can actually see them. So. Obviously aluminum beefy rods. The pistons we can see are JE. But nothing on the rods other than a part #. Same on all. #33526. Does anyone know what rods these are?
The rods look like TA brand billets. What matters most with the Rods is how many passes are on them if the motor was run at the strip. Most racers will pay it safe and just toss them after one full season of racing, on the street you might go 3 to 4 years. You cylinder walls are also showing signs that the corners of all the rings at there gap where not dressed over, and this will add a ton of fiction, heat and ware to the motor. It's hours of we'll spend work to dress all the corners because these edeges also dig into the ring groove in the Pistons .
I wouldnt worry about the rods if they look ok. I put 700 passes on mine in the skyhawk. The set in the procharged car had over 400 plus street miles and i still have them. Rpm seems to be more of the issue than heat cycles. I dont think that car saw any kind of rpm so you will be fine. Worse case you can send them to be checked. I think its around 200 to have them checked. john jr
Thanks. I've decided to take it all down and have the cylinders honed and check everything out. And go from there. Just curious about the brand of rods. Don't see any stamping other than the part #.
9th season on my GRP rods....usually shift 6200-6500 rpm. Lost track of number of passes. Other than taking them out and checking is there any indication that they are tired? I wonder who makes TA alum rods?
I wound up tearing the whole thing down today which honestly Larry "the Wizard " told me to do pretty much from when I bought this car. Anyhow just walked inside. Here's some pictures of my engine. Everything looked pretty average except for #7 rod bearing as shown.
Is that the number 3 main Bearing out of the cap and it has the oil hole in it? What did number 3 upper Bearing have, a oil hole also? The other ware your seeing down into the copper could be from the cast crank being polished the wrong way There is a specific way it needs to be spun to get polished right and the old do it at home way of using 400 grit paper and a shoe lace will not work right either Polishing in this old fashioned way on a cast crank can produce more Bearing ware then if no polishing was done but you only had scratches on the Bearing surface.
All the bearings are toast, crank needs polishing if not reground. These look like Kenne-Bell's infamous "fully grooved" main bearings of eons ago. Neat idea, bad application. Buick's bearing width is already too narrow. Reducing bearing surface area even more on the bottom (main caps), where pressures/forces are highest, is inviting disaster on a performance build. Devon
Crank is pretty crappy as you can see. Bruno almost had a heart attack when he saw it lol. He had a crank that I'll probably be buying. Going to the machine shop today and leave everything to be checked out.
I run GRP pro-material aluminum rods in my engines and they are street-driven. They are not your typical aluminum rod from yesteryear.
I appreciate it Brian. Everything is at the machine shop. Having everything mic'd. Assuming (praying) all is well and the cylinders only need a honing, I'm putting it all back together with the new TA hydraulic cam and take my chances. Thx.
