Aluminum rods.

[dakota tom]

Has anyone here used aluminum rods in a 409? Looking at 3.76 stroke. Rods are 6.385.
Do you need to grind pan rails and bottom of cylinders for clearance? Oil pan clearance?

 

[Ishiftem]

I'm sure you would have to notch the bottom of the cylinders. Don't know about pan/pan rail. Why do you want aluminum rods?

 

[dakota tom]

I have run some in a BBC before. I have this set of rods I thought I might use them. They are a new set that have been setting. I may have some corrosion problems on some.

 

[BSL409]

Yes I have them in my 814 block race engine that was in my 61 now a backup

 

[Fathead Racing]

Nothing wrong with aluminum rods, a little more quench clearance is all. Spin that puppy quick!

 

[RussC]

Our W race motors used aluminum rods. We ran the motors to 7800. Just a word of caution...aluminum rods are not all equal. You want the good ones...not the cheap ones

 

[Ishiftem]

And you want to change them out at freshen up time. I wouldn't put more than 250 runs on them. Maybe less depending on rpm and piston weight.

 

[dakota tom]

A tractor puller used to run these Howard rods over 300 runs in a 8-71 blown 468 BBC.
Talking with the late Gary Ostrich he said they would run all day at 9000 rpm in a 426 hemi. He used to do distructive testing at Chrysler. Also assembled Hemis by the truckload for Don Gartlis, assembled the ohc engine for the Rod Shop colt wagon.
I had a 494 hemi with alumunum dart heads Radar ported from Ostriches shop.

 

[RussC]

We cycled our rods out at about 100 passes. Seemed like cheap insurance

 

[dakota tom]

I changed them out at 40 passes in my pulling truck. Some pullers did about every 25 passes.

 

[agentorange]

They're OK as long as you treat them as a maintenance item. Every time you freshen the engine, new set of rods. No way to check them. They're good until they're bad. And bad usually means you have two half rods in that hole.

 

[Phil Reed]

I have 2 Howard rods if you next extras!!!!! FREE!!!!!!!!

 

[409gang]

They make good steering column mounts.

 

[55Brodie]

Or tailpipe hangers.

 

[dakota tom]

This is getting as bad as facebook! I asked if or where you needed to clearance the block to use aluminum rods and instead of grinding on a block it's grinding through all the pros/cons of aluminum rods and there use as hot rod artwork.

 

[409gang]

I think if you read between the lines the suggestion is to avoid if at all possible.

 

[409gang]

I know several guys who have the broken pieces hanging in their garage as wall art.

 

[Barry Taylor]

 

[Ishiftem]

This is getting as bad as facebook! I asked if or where you needed to clearance the block to use aluminum rods and instead of grinding on a block it's grinding through all the pros/cons of aluminum rods and there use as hot rod artwork.

Makes life interesting!

 

[Phil Reed]

I'll still send you my 2 Tom!!!!!!