Forged I beam vs. H beam rods

I've been looking at stroker kits on Summit racing and I have noticed that many of the kits include forged I beam rods as opposed to H beam rods and that the H beam kits are much more expensive than the I beam kits. I was wondering if there was a major difference between the 2 rod types when it comes to power output vs. strength of the rod itself for these aftermarket rods? I know that the H beams are pretty much the end-all when it comes to strength but how far can you push those I beams before they become a liability? Can you take them to 700 hp? 800 hp? Just how far can they go?

My goal is to build a 501ish cube motor and shoot for the 700 hp range, to start with I will run these already built D3 heads I have here and once I feel that the car and I can handle more power I will either have the D0VE heads I have rebuilt or order up a set of aftermarket aluminums to get the job done. The car is a 72 Gran Torino formal roof and I will be using a T56 stick, 3.50 rear gears, and shooting for high to mid 10 second 1/4 mile passes, which shouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibilities with a 2 ton car.

IMO you will be better off with the H beam rods, with 4,000lbs you are going to need probbaly 750-800hp to run 10s and that T56 will be a weak link. I would suggest a stroker kit with nitrous pistons for just in case its not as fast as you would like, nitrous rings and the like.

Or maybe hit up Lem Evans on here he has built more than a few he probbaly will tell you what you need to accomoplish your goals

go with the ford motorsport 521 kit from Gary Yeoman ford in daytona $ 1150 hard to beat that price eagle h beam rods, probe forged pistons, cast steel 4.300 crank and bearings

Or Lem Evans has them for $1349.00 and imo for the extra $199 the service and help your gonna get from Lem when ya need it is priceless

i dont care how much work is done to your d3's 700-800 hp is not relistic imo
your gonna need spray to push that car car into the 10's for shure
i would say atleast a 250 shot and i would also consider a forged crank
than you have it if you step it up in the furture

dfree383 wrote:

rmcomprandy wrote:

jesse wrote:i dont care how much work is done to your d3's 700-800 hp is not realistic imo
your gonna need spray to push that car car into the 10's for shure
i would say atleast a 250 shot and i would also consider a forged crank
than you have it if you step it up in the furture

I totally disagree.
I have personally built and dynoed a D3 headed 513 inch NA engine which made over 730 horsepower.
It CAN be done without a lot of trouble but, not on the cheap.

Getting into the nines won't take 700 horsepower with a 3,200 pound car if the car is a RACE CAR ... a street/strip vehicle will have no chance..

2 tons is alot of metal to move.....

I am painfully aware of that little bit, lol, the poor little 302 that came in the car was a sad sad little v8. Once the car has been gone through and excess weight has been removed and a cage added I think it should weigh in around 3700 lbs and I'm hoping to have a semblance of an interior as well. I can easily stick 10.5" wide tires on the back but my biggest hurdle will be the rear suspension, either I'm gonna have to custom make something or I'm gonna have to look into the Metco LCAs and instant center brackets. It'll be a fun ride for sure, but it's gonna be a lot of really hard work and head scratching along the way.

Setting aside the discussion of D3 heads and 700 HP and all that.
I would recommend a much steeper rear gear than a 3:50
closer to a 4.56 would get you to that 10 second mark alot easier.

Case in point: my 67 galaxie heavy! even after I stripped it down.
very tired 429 (oily, ticky) still ran near 14.00 flat, with a 4 speed wide ratio, and a 4.56 spool.
Also at 4000 ft altitude.
couldn't have come close without that gear. and 5000 shifts.

miracle it didn't blow up. gave it about 20 runs on that $150 engine.

D