Mocked up my bottom end yesterday, ended up needing to notch the first cylinder a bit, will post a nice thread when im done with the build


anyway, checked ride cap side clearance (rod cap to crank) and it was an awfully tight 0.005 thou, I know this is tight, but what have you guys gotten away with previously?


I am thinking of taking 2 and half thou of each side of the big ends of the rods, to run a max of 10 thou side clearance,


chime in

 

this is using a new manely 100mm billet crank btw

 

Rod's are typically happy with 10-12 thou of side clearance with single rod per journal. Shooting for 10 will be good.

 

Talked to a local cylinder head reapir/rod reconditioning shop, dropping them off tomorrow with my crank so they can use for reference, this is something that a local machine shop can do right?


also, wouldn't this throw off the rods balance drastically?


Roni

 

Local machine shop can easily do it, they're just planning material off the side of the big end of the rod. All 4 rods just need to weigh within +/- 1 gram of each other.

 

[QUOTE=letsgetthisdone;11666102]Local machine shop can easily do it, they're just planning material off the side of the big end of the rod. All 4 rods just need to weigh within +/- 1 gram of each other.[/QUOTE


so i just got off the phone with manely, AND a guy that builds a few 4g's a year along with hundreds of other platforms of very high hp motors, basically they told me 6 thou of clearence is good because it will open up over time specially after break in,

the builder said 7 thou is better but said that if the rod has shot peened ends (which mine does) he said to leave it alone and work with what you have because if you do not have a lapping plate, it will be very chalanging to take off material, and would f up the strength of the rods.

so im hoping 6 thou does me good

 

Rod side clearance should not open up after break in. That would mean the rod and crank are machining themselves against each other. Is what will happen if that is happening is the rod will weld itself to the crank..


I've never had an issue machining rods for side clearance. I've even had the big ends honed to increase bearing clearance a few times.


Hell, in the motor in my off road truck, its a Ford 4.0 SOHC V6. I used manley rods designed for the 4.6 V8. I had to have the big ends honed .030" and I had to narrow the big end of the rod .120" (I think, I know it was a lot lol). And she ran like a top.


Long story short, machining that lip on the big end for proper clearance isn't going to hurt the rod. You could always have the shot peening redon on the machined area. Would probably only cost $40 to do all 4 rods.

 

Just take them to the machine shop and throw all 4 on a surface grinder. Take 1.5 thou a side and be done with it. I would bet the weights all stay within spec. Use some wet sand paper to take the edges off and yer done. Literally take less than 5 minutes to grind

 

#Ronibuilt!!!

 

This. I've done this more than few times with shot peened rods, never an issue. The part your removing material from doesn't need the crack prevention that shot peening provides. So it's not an issue.

 

So my local machine shop said he could do it, $100, OR, he said get a 220 grit sand paper and sand each side of the rod until you get the desired clearence, it works, i dont see how doing it this was would cause any problems!

 

Yer gonna be sanding for a LONG time

 

Also this LOL. Those rods are heat treated and shot peened peened chromoly. They are VERY hard...lol