RB440 con rods
RB440 con rods
(OP)
Can you run free floating pins without bushings (1/8" oil hole drilled in top) in stock steel LY rods. If so, will they be durable enough for a mild (450hp/6000rpm max) street engine or is this a race only modification.





RE: RB440 con rods
its never good to put steel against steel
even with a little oil splash
everytime i've seen it done, it wasn't long before
the pin and rod started galling each other
have the small ends of the rod "Bushed" with Bronze-alloy bushing
if you don't want the bronze-bushing , then you should run
.0008" tenthousandths to .001" thousandths pin to rod clearance if its steel-against-steel
Larry Meaux (meauxracing@mindspring.com)
Meaux Racing Heads - MaxRace Software
ET_Analyst for DragRacers
http://www.mindspring.com/~meauxracing/
Support Israel - Genesis 12:3
RE: RB440 con rods
Why would you take an engine apart and CHEAP out on putting a bushing in the rod end? Dumb, dumb, dumb. Larry is too nice a guy and a good God fearing man to tell you that if you do this---YOU ARE AN IDIOT!!!
Rod----Hey, I just calls 'em like I seez 'em!
RE: RB440 con rods
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Hey Rod ,
i like your style :)
Larry Meaux (meauxracing@mindspring.com)
Meaux Racing Heads - MaxRace Software
ET_Analyst for DragRacers
http://www.mindspring.com/~meauxracing/
Support Israel - Genesis 12:3
RE: RB440 con rods
Good luck... you'll need it
www.fea-uk.co.uk
RE: RB440 con rods
mostly on steel BBC Chevy rods ,
GM tin/lead plated or dipped small ends , then honed
to size
i think GM also briefly offered same-process rods for small block Chevy
i know the BBC plated rods worked a little longer than steel-on-steel ..but the results were the same ,
pin and rod small end galling each other
it just took longer to happen with GM plated rod-ends
The Bronze bushing is the way to go with a steel rod
if you want to float small ends
Larry Meaux (meauxracing@mindspring.com)
Meaux Racing Heads - MaxRace Software
ET_Analyst for DragRacers
http://www.mindspring.com/~meauxracing/
Support Israel - Genesis 12:3
RE: RB440 con rods
RE: RB440 con rods
There is absolutely no substitute for hands on experience but you can avail yourself of many years of practical work by those of us who have 'been there, done that'! Don't try to reinvent the WHEEL! (At least not for a while)
Good luck.
Rod
RE: RB440 con rods
Like Rod says - READ
www.stevesmithautosports.com/
Keep the wheels on the ground
Bob
showshine@aol.com
RE: RB440 con rods
if you are "floating" the small-end of the rod
for a "gain" in HP/Torque ??.....there won't be any !!!
the only reason to float the rods is if there were aluminum or a steel rod (with a bushing)
...other than that , it would be for easy disassembly or assembly ...because theres no HP/Torque gains !!!
if the rods are "heated on" pistons , if its done correctly
it usually takes 1.5 to 4.0 tons of force to press pin back out of piston
with the millions of engines all the car manufacturers have made, what percent of them has ever had the pins
get loose and score the cylinder walls ???
probably a very tiny percent of a percent
Larry Meaux (meauxracing@mindspring.com)
Meaux Racing Heads - MaxRace Software
ET_Analyst for DragRacers
http://www.mindspring.com/~meauxracing/
Support Israel - Genesis 12:3
RE: RB440 con rods
RE: RB440 con rods
max CR you can run ??? 92/93 octane= depends upon cam duration @ .050, centers/overlap, rpm, velocity, etc.
usually a real 10:1 cr can run 92/93 gas with 230 @ .050
pretty safely
Larry Meaux (meauxracing@mindspring.com)
Meaux Racing Heads - MaxRace Software
ET_Analyst for DragRacers
http://www.mindspring.com/~meauxracing/
Support Israel - Genesis 12:3
RE: RB440 con rods
Before you spend a lot of money reworking those LY rods, you might check out some aftermarket models. I've got some Manley Sportsmasters ($499), and I've seen some H beams from various sources for even less. By the time you have the stock rods bushed, honed, resized, shotpeened and new bolts installed, you could have almost bought a good set, and would have the added strength and assurance. Just my two bits.
Tom :o)