What are some of you doing to the stock rods to make them better? I was thinking of cleaning up the beams and running them through one of those shot blaster deals that is normaly used for cleaning parts, kinda like a poor mans shot peening, arp bolts and resize big end. I am sure that there is allot more that could be done but I don't want to end up with a bunch of money in stock rods. I am looking for something that will live in a 580 to 600 hp motor with a max of about 6000 rpm. I plan on keeping the piston and pin weight down and 11 to 1 - 11.5 to 1 compression. I read in other posts where allot of you have run pretty fast on stock rods as long as all the clearences are right and the oil system is set up right.
Spend the money on the lightest piston you can find, not just a good deal. That will make stock rods live, along with the block. I like to run loose bores also. I wish I was building my last engine all over again it would be completely different.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what is the lightest piston/pin combo for the factory rods. Ive been told that by reducing the piston skirts to a bare minimum, that you risk putting the piston through the side of the cylinder wall if there is to much flex in the cylinder wall. Has anyone ever had any problem like this on the Buick big blocks?
Hi Tom, Buick rods don't need anything more than good rod bolts and resizing. Even up to 600 hp we have not seen these things fail with good prep. What usually fails is the block at the main webs and takes everything with it. Yes you should use the lightest parts in the reciprocating assembly up to a point that durability becomes an issue.
Thanks everyone, from this tread and others I am feeling allot better about stock rods holding up tp what I want to run.
