I am freshing the 464 in my street car and am debating what direction to go in. It's a stock rod w/ arp bolts and non girdle. Its 10.25 to 1 with some decent iron heads. I'd like to put a smaller cam in it to make it more street friendly but add a nitrous system for when it's at the track. Do you think the stock rods would hold up in a 550 hp engine with a 150 shot? It currently has stock main bolts, I assume it would need main studs. Is that a situation where it would need a girdle? I was thinking about not turning the nitrous on until 5000-5500 after it's past peak torque to reduce the load. What is everyone's thoughts?
Wouldn't worry about the main bolts they aren't the problem. Sometimes these cheap combos last sometimes they don't .100hp shot would be the safter place to be
Probably ok for that level as long as rpm is 5500 max. If you go with studs you'll need to align hone again
Are you saying 5500 max NA in this combination or was that with the nitrous? I've been turning it 6500 for years. I just took it apart and it looked like the caps didn't walk or chatter. Maybe I've been playing with fire?
Well with that much hp and stock rods will be not if,but when it will happen.I had about 670 HP in my car 20 odd years ago,with a solid 308 cam it ran 10.27 in Engleshtown and all was well.A month later we were at Atco race tra ck and the car went 10.22 and we went home to find out what that strange noise was about.A bend Buick rod.I would venture that on motor it will be OK,with nitrous you are playing with disaster.Just my opinion. If you stay at 5500 rpm,as Gary stated you might be safe. Bruno.
What pistons? If cast I would avoid the nitrous..... I've gone 9.90s in 3700lb GS with stock rods and 6500rpm. Motor in car since 2004.....
Without proper oiling mods I wouldn't exceed 5500 regularly no matter what. You could go higher na but squirting it places more load and movement of the bottom end. When I ran Thumper in the 70-80s without a girdle and shifting at 6-6200, every winter I had to replace #2 and #4 main bearings due to uneven wear as a result of movement. Just accepted it as a result of racing.
Mine happened in 1995..In 96 I went with a roller cam , this still with original S.I heads the car went 9.70.The car was all original with no fiberglass in it. and stock rear..Bruno.
If you can't afford to loose a block and possibly everything that's in it, then you also can't afford to not run a 5 times stronger then stock H beam rod.
It does have all the oiling mods done to it and was prepped well buy a shop that has experience in racing Big Block Buicks. Would H beams and studs make this a more reliable combination? Does it need a girdle? I may just put a smaller cam in it so I don't have to turn as much RPM. Sorry if these questions sound stupid. I've been racing LS stuff in my bracket car for the last 10 years. I know that's an apples to oranges comparison. I can't afford a TA block and I'm trying to figure out how to make this a reliable street combination that's still pretty fast
Sounds like you have a good one....I'd run it but go milder cam for street and do the spray (with a proper tune) and 5500. Probably no harder on it than 6500 and no spray. If you could do a partial fill and oil cooler it would be even better.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll probably put this thing back together like it is, not spray it and shift at 6000.
Keep this fact in mind. The G force loads that get applied to the recipercating parts DOUBLE with the square of the rpm, so the loads that a bottom end might see at 4000 rpm are doubled again at 6000 rom. This means that for example if your motor was safe at 5000 rpm and was making 400 hp at that rpm you would have to then double that 400 hp at being made at 5000 rpm to produce the same G force loads as making only 400 hp, but at 7000 rpm.
