350 6" ALLY ROD HELP!

[The yob]

Hi all

Im after abit of info, i have the chance to purchase some new manley 6" ally rods for my 350 small block,when using a 6" rod...instead of a standard 5.7" rod are the any complications ? ie the 6" rod fouling? would any machine work need to be done to my standard 350 block? might sound a stupid question but thought it best to ask!...oooh and also when tourqing a ally rod ..what kind of tourque should be used?

thanks for your time

[redvictor]

The yob said:

Hi all

Im after abit of info, i have the chance to purchase some new manley 6" ally rods for my 350 small block,when using a 6" rod...instead of a standard 5.7" rod are the any complications ? ie the 6" rod fouling? would any machine work need to be done to my standard 350 block? might sound a stupid question but thought it best to ask!...oooh and also when tourqing a ally rod ..what kind of tourque should be used?

thanks for your time

have fun fitting them in.You'll be grinding the block away for hrs....It'll foul everywhere.. bottom of the bores,sides of the crankcase,camshaft,piston skirts...
stick with good steel rods for your sanity...

[cliff gould]

if you go ally rods.
have a good bottom end man.
check them regular and for straightness.
too lean or too rich will twist them like like a reed in the wind.
depending on how hard you run the motor.
plus not trying to teach you to suck eggs.
.300 thou taller piston position.
comp issue poss.
think brooks were 90 ft lb.cold.
.norm have an info card for touque fella.
cliff

Edited by cliff gould on Wednesday 20th February 01:00

Edited by cliff gould on Wednesday 20th February 01:01

Edited by cliff gould on Wednesday 20th February 01:03

[ss64ii]

Hopefully not for the street??!!
Stay with steel, carillos.

[The yob]

oooh dear well now you have given me the bad news .... ill give you the full story!....i say ive been offered 6" rods....i bought some ally rods that i was told was 5.7 standard size.....got them and they are 6"!...the bloke is having none of it i bought them off...sold as seen he says!...thanks alot mate!...so i have 6" ally rods and new je pistons ring and bearings to suit the rods now ive forked out al this cash im gonna have to use them... is the "grinding" of the block something i can do myself? this is for my new combo..blown alky small block.... ...any advise appreciated

thanks for your time

[herb andrews]

Sounds like you are stuck with using them so go for it.

With care, you will be alright in grinding the block but as Redvictor says the rods will hit in most places so it will take some time. Have patience and think about what you are doing before starting, as its easy to grind too much off and weaken areas. It’s a dirty job as the fine dust from the casting goes everywhere, so wear a good mask and clean each crank journal before fitting the rod bearings. If you have got old rod bearings use them. Herb

[hellfish]

To be honest dude that does sound like pure bad luck.As cliff said you will have to check them often also worth remembering that you would have to change the rods regularly as the cycle life of them is tiny compared to steel rods.If your runnin a blown smallblock in a sportsman class you would want the longevity of steel rods because of the sheer volume and regularity of laps that youd make.Steel rods would be fine,in most cases(but not always) rpm and/or bad maintenance etc breaks conrods more than compression would and as your runnin the blower you could make power with less rpm.steel rods wouldnt be so susceptable to heat either as a lean condition would cause.It doesnt help the fact that you have the parts but trust me,sell the stuff on,chalk it up to experiance and go the steel route.Ofcourse if you do do it and it all works out then fair play to ya,its always nice to see people make things workout.

[herb andrews]

One thing I meant to add was if you missed they were 6" and you wanted 5.7", before you do anything check wheather they are small or larger journal rods and if they are compatable with your crank. If you have done that already and they check out, then pass go.
Herb

[The yob]

thank for all the infor chaps............im having real bad luck with rods!...i ordered a used new set about 4 months ago..told they where large jrnal,got them...was small!.....ordered these..told they was 5.7...they was 6!..ever feel like giving up?..the seasons getting closer.....moneys running out...and the mrs wants a new bathroom fitting!....

[Nitrohaulic]

I can't speak for small blocks but I ran Manley's in a 427 alcohol injected big block for five years. The paperwork said to check them for stretch at 100 runs in an unblown application.

The good thing is they're light. The bad thing is they're light. Your machine shop will have to remove a lot of material from your counterweights to balance it. My crank looked like Swiss cheese when they were done.

When I moved up to a 475 (.100 over 454) with the "smarter" steel rods and it's longer stroke, I have to admit, the motor was a lot less fun to do burnouts with. Big difference in the way the engine felt and revved compared to the short stroke and aluminum rods (It sucked! LOL).

With my application, I remember that 8 aluminum rods weighed right at what 6 steel rods did. On top of that, about the same weight was removed from the "other side" of the crank to balance it so, it was the same as removing 4 rods from a steel rod engine. That's a LOT!

Ron in Bristol, Tennessee

Edited by Nitrohaulic on Saturday 23 February 02:06

[BB-Q]

Other than requiring better pistons with a lower crown height than the standard measurement agricultural pistons I can't see that the length of the rod would be a problem. The longer rod would reduce angularity in relation to the bore. Are SBC's really that tight a fit? Or is it that ally rods are so bulky to compensate for the material? I can only assume the latter. Why would anyone want to run ally rods anyway?

Though the extra length in the rod is a good idea for reducing detonation problems, improving combustion characteristics and allowing slightly higher rpm, Plus the aforementioned bonus of allowing a much more modern piston design.

Edited by BB-Q on Saturday 23 February 08:53

[Nitrohaulic]

David Reher has written about doing back to back dyno tests with short vs long rods, saying that they never found anything.