jason07

just wondering, i have a 93 lt1 and i am pretty sure it came with pink rods. (i have not cracked her open yet) but, if i do have the rods, can i still used them in my 355 rebuild alone with the stock crank? are they just as good or better than the PM rods? i know they are forged, so i am guessing they are stronger. not sure though.

RamAir95TA

No stock car came with forged components.

The OEM rod in all years are strong. If they're in good shape I wouldn't hesitate to use them in a 355.

jason07

hmmm...i did a search on the site and i read that they were forged. i guess i read wrong or false information.

either way, if they are good, how high can i spin them? i have a cc306 and want to get all the power out of it as i can. ill go with apr in the internals. i have to use mildon (sp) main studs though for the windage tray. how how can i rev with a good valve train???

bombebomb

They are not forged (if you had a doubt). Not sure on the rpm's for stock rods.

Jlo

hmmm..I thought the P.M. rods were better than the old pink rods.

PWR SHFT

All connecting rods are forged..period. Whether or not they are forged to the quality of an aftermarket piece plus the quality of the bolts are the question. Powdered metal brings a new method to the mix, but all connecting rods from the factory are forged steel. This has been a long assumed old wives tale - cast crank, cast pistons, must be cast rods. Not true.

jason07

so, my question is, will i be ok with using the ''pink'' rods with arp fasteners reving....lets say....to 7000?

jason07

....concidering my valve train can handle it of course.

n2ceptor

In modern automotive internal combustion engines, the connecting rods are most usually made of steel for production engines, but can be made of aluminium (for lightness and the ability to absorb high impact at the expense of durability) or titanium (for a combination of strength and lightness at the expense of affordability) for high performance engines, or of cast iron for applications such as motor scooters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecting_rod

bombebomb

So, is this true. Judging by my prior knowledge, and the posts after it I am saying no.

jason07

So then what would be a good rod that i can use that is better than the rods i have? i have srp pistons with flat tops, pressed pin, and 5.7 rod. thanks alot for all yalls help.

PWR SHFT

Don't confuse the parting line of a forging die with that of a casting seam. If you look at a factory forged crank vs. a factory cast crank, the forged crank will have the same parting line only wider. A cast rod could never take the abuse in a standard passenger car motor, let alone a high perf one.

PWR SHFT

Just because the factory rod is forged does not mean that it is ideal for very high perf engines. I am sure there are plenty of opinions as to the limit of the factory rod. The bolts are more important to upgrade than the rod itself for IMHO HP ratings up to 400 hp. More than that you should look into a quality aftermarket rod. Cast cranks, on the other hand, have been known to take quite a bit more and you will find many on the board have used them with great sucess. I plan on building my motor around the factory crank but I am going to aftermarket rods and pistons.

jason07

i wanted to use the stock crank and rods also. but i plan on reving high to take advantage of all the power of a cc306. can the stock crank take the abuse of high reving? if it can not, then i think ill have to go with a smaller cam that makes power in the lower rpms. will the cc305 be a wise choice if this is the case?

i have used the search on this site and have read many many many threads and posts. i can only find that the stock crank and rods are good for about 450. possibly more with arp fasterns. but i have yet to find a thread that answers how high can a ''stockish'' 355 safely rev.

also, i might add, i plan on spraying the motor with possibly a 150-175 shot only at the track. (which i go like, 4 times i year...if that) i know that the crank and the rods with arp can haddle that. its just the high reving i am worried about.

96m6lt1

stock crank is stronger than most give credit for....
javier97, T/Alt1 clint and quite a few others have gone far with stock cranks and the cc306