Re: I have some aluminum rod questions

138 January 15th 2011, 8:02 pm

if you drink like I do... you may have enough aluminum cans behind your garage to cash in for some aluminum rods, and then have enough stock piled again by the time you make 100 passes to do it all over...

BigDave65 January 15th 2011, 8:25 pm

I ran an iron headed CJ 514 with reground stock cranks and aluminum rods for years. I didn't have any more maintenance during the season with it than I've had with a 557 with steel Oliver rods. I put 250-300 1/8th mile passes a year on the 514 and just change the oil and check valve lash pretty regular. It was far from a max effort deal, launched at 4-4400, shifted at 64-6600. It would run 5.90's in a 2800+ square tube car. I would run a set of rods 2 seasons and change them out. The engine was built in 1992 and is still being raced today, though no quite as often as I raced it. If the thing is clearanced right and you warm the engine up good before turning any RPM, it shouldn't require any extra maintenance.

Thats been my experience with aluminum rods anyway.

1Bad91 January 15th 2011, 8:55 pm

Well the proof is in the pudding...^^^^^ Aint no extra maint on a ALUM rod motor VS a steel rod motor. They all time bombs waiting to explode any which way you look at it. I can tell you that and I consider myself a rookie.

1Bad91 January 15th 2011, 8:59 pm

My engine builder has had a set of GRP aluminum rods for nearly 9 years. Couldnt even tell you how many runs are on them. Lets just say they are sitting in his 440 Mopar build right now and he drives it on the street and runs 9's on pump fuel 3400lbs. So, let me know when you guys toss your ALUM rods after two seasons. I will be glad to snatch them up from you for free if you dont mind... Cool

richter69 January 15th 2011, 10:17 pm

Local guy has kicked the GRP alum rods out of his twice, the 2nd time it killed the SVO block as well. Both times they had less than 100 runs on them, and came to find out it was loosing fire and it hydrolocked (alky injected) before he found the problem.

I seem to recall Dan having the same issues last year and it tore up everything but the STEEL H-beam rods.

What I'm getting at is an aluminum rod is not a guarantee that it won't destroy everything else when it fails, and that it is "safer" than a steel rod. They all have their place.

Curt January 15th 2011, 10:43 pm

Damn alcohol injection. Evil or Very Mad

richter69 January 15th 2011, 11:11 pm

damn coil wire

cool40 January 15th 2011, 11:39 pm

damn,that would suck!

138 January 15th 2011, 11:45 pm

damn.. olivers are 1300 bucks,,, Razz

cool40 January 16th 2011, 12:21 am

138 wrote:damn.. olivers are 1300 bucks,,,

and?

138 January 16th 2011, 12:23 am

I want some...

138 January 16th 2011, 12:24 am

cool40 wrote:
138 wrote:damn.. olivers are 1300 bucks,,,
and?

wanna sell those pretty aheads or ex's ?

cool40 January 16th 2011, 12:35 am

138 wrote:
cool40 wrote:
138 wrote:damn.. olivers are 1300 bucks,,,
and?

wanna sell those pretty aheads or ex's ?

i have plans for them all,and the're ELIMINATOR'S. Laughing

they all look the same anyway. Very Happy

i may put the 526 in this 07 mustang i cant sell for shit. Laughing

138 January 16th 2011, 12:53 am

Havaneiss Dei August 23rd 2015, 4:39 am

jwall wrote:I will throw this out there for what it is worth....
Aluminum rods do have a heat cycle life. I also believe they are easier on the crankshaft due to their inherent material and their light weight.
Steel rods are much better suited for street and street/race motors unless you plan on changing the rods VERY VERY frequently.
Aluminum Rods are a much better fit for a "race only" motor and are cost prohibitive for a street driven vehicle.

My opinion is based on my experience with both rod types in a twin turbo SBF running over 200 mph.
Kaase could give a better explaination and the recommended rod change intervals for the specific cubic inch BBF.
I will say that a good friend has an over 900 cubic inch motor (not a BBF though) and has an aluminum rod change interval of 40 passes (1/4 mile).

Just my opinion though.

Is that a weighted interval -- meaning one rod, on average, changed per 40 passes (and one set per 320 passes) -- or does that mean that the whole set is replaced between the 40th and 41st pass (giving a per-rod average of only 5 passes)?

My guess is that if your pal is running one of Sonny's lumps, he (or she) has what someone else described as a bottomless wallet, and cost alone is insufficient disincentive to force the other considerations. I doubt the 900+ CID engine is going to see anywhere near 100k miles of use, even with the frequent rod changes -- which, if I understand your position, is merely a restatement (and perhaps an amplification) of your point.

cool40 August 23rd 2015, 1:15 pm

Havaneiss Dei wrote:
jwall wrote:I will throw this out there for what it is worth....
Aluminum rods do have a heat cycle life. I also believe they are easier on the crankshaft due to their inherent material and their light weight.
Steel rods are much better suited for street and street/race motors unless you plan on changing the rods VERY VERY frequently.
Aluminum Rods are a much better fit for a "race only" motor and are cost prohibitive for a street driven vehicle.

My opinion is based on my experience with both rod types in a twin turbo SBF running over 200 mph.
Kaase could give a better explaination and the recommended rod change intervals for the specific cubic inch BBF.
I will say that a good friend has an over 900 cubic inch motor (not a BBF though) and has an aluminum rod change interval of 40 passes (1/4 mile).

Just my opinion though.
Is that a weighted interval -- meaning one rod, on average, changed per 40 passes (and one set per 320 passes) -- or does that mean that the whole set is replaced between the 40th and 41st pass (giving a per-rod average of only 5 passes)?

My guess is that if your pal is running one of Sonny's lumps, he (or she) has what someone else described as a bottomless wallet, and cost alone is insufficient disincentive to force the other considerations. I doubt the 900+ CID engine is going to see anywhere near 100k miles of use, even with the frequent rod changes -- which, if I understand your position, is merely a restatement (and perhaps an amplification) of your point.

how many passes do you put on aluminum rods?

richter69 August 23rd 2015, 5:10 pm

Holy 4.5 year bump.....

Mike R August 23rd 2015, 6:48 pm

Somebody's been reading, ALOT

bbf-falcon August 23rd 2015, 10:32 pm

richter69 wrote:Holy 4.5 year bump.....

Yea no shit.I didn't realize it until I saw Harolds post. My mouth dropped when I saw that. Shocked

samiam July 19th 2017, 9:48 pm

bbf-falcon wrote:
richter69 wrote:Holy 4.5 year bump.....

Yea no shit.I didn't realize it until I saw Harolds post. My mouth dropped when I saw that.

Good information never get's old. Im always in here in the back pages, learning something.......

68formalGT July 20th 2017, 1:03 pm

Sometimes the old stuff is still relevant and sometimes there are changes and new stuff. Of course you'll get the occasional guy that'll tell you how to use the search Rolling Eyes

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