Hi guys, I hope to get some advice from you.I´d like to use my 301 Chevy in my 53 Chevy Gasser project. It´s still on the stand and it has never been run because I had no car for it, but now I have a 53Chevy Gasser project and would like to run the 301 in it.It still has the stock 283 rods and I suppose the rods won´t live forever as the engine is going be revved quite some... Plans are a 2x4 tunnel ram, at least 11:1 cr, powerglide... Are there good aftermarket rods for the early small journal engines that are availible new? Here is a pic , the enigine is sitting in my living room in the meantime...
Use the rods from a 327 small journal. clean all the casting flash and have them magnifluxed resized & balanced. Use a better rod bolt.
Google is your friend: www.Eaglerod.com http://www.jegs.com/i/Eagle/356/SIR5700SPLW/10002/-1 http://www.competitionracingsupply.com/item--Eagle-SBC-5700"-I---Beam-Connecting-Rods-Press---Item--EAG-SIR5700SPLW--connecting_rods_small_block_chevrolet_chevy_eagle_i_beam_sir5700splw.html
The only chevy rods to use are the small journal 327/302's. And aftermarket rods of the small journal size are getting hard to find. As said above, remove the forging flash, and use ARP bolts and you should be good for 8000 rpm drag races, but I would not go road racing with them. My current motor, a small journal 327, has an aftermarket set of small journal 5.875" rods so I could use 350 forged blower pistons, (MUCH cheaper than 327 blower pistons). Can't use the long rod trick in a 283 unless you want to spend big $ on pistons. Anyway, high revving 283's are one of my favorite engines. Good luck with your build.
One thing to consider is if you currantly have a press fit pin piston and want to stay with that or upgrade to a newer style lightweight forged piston with a better ring pack and a floating pin and some eagle h beam rods. Than if the latter of course the crank will need rebalanced also.
all the after market make small journal rods in any length you want. in I beam or H beam. i'm not a big eagle fan stock 327 rods with arp bolts will do the job, have to be resized after installing the bolts and are not free floating but have used them with out bushings by honing to size and drilling an oil hole in the top on oval track engines running up to 8000 rpm with no problems.rpm, weight of piston, compression and rod ratio determines what rod to use
Use the SECOND stage, small journal 327 rods, not the early 327 rods as they are the same as 283 rods. Used to be an old racers trick to use 265 rods, as they were the lightest, but weakness was the trade off. It's still cheaper to use a set of 5.7 inch aftermarket rods; it'll be cheaper than having stock rods rebuilt, just have your machinist check their specs. You already have the pistons, so you're stuck with the 5.7 inch long rod. You will have to re-balance the rotating assembly. Is this a street Gasser or legit drag car? Street car, use at least a TH350, Powerglides are boring on the street. I build them for several racers, and my nephews 51 Bus Coupe has one of my Glides in it, and a 4.88 Positraction setup; 3 gears would make it more fun to drive as it's a streeter style Gasser. We do have one to swap in when the time is right. Nice looking engine, too bad you have to tear it apart for an update. Have the crank snout drilled/tapped for a bolt while it's apart. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
That´s some great help! I was not aware of the H-beam aftermarket rods that are in production for the early small journal engines, that makes it a lot easier for me. The car will be 90 % strip , but I want it to be street legal , just to be able to drive it to short distance events. I checked summit and think i´ll go with scat or eagle H-beams when th time comes. Thanks again for your info!
Does anyone remember Chevy's green rods? They were supposed to be the small journal equal to the pink rods. I would see them for sale from time to time. Haven't seen any in a long time.
i'm rebuilding a 301 that set class record at the NHRA Grand-nationals in the 70's for my altered reusing as many of the original parts as possible forgetrue pistons old crane roller cam etc. the worst parts were the pistons heavy solid dome not one measured the same size the tapered wrist pins had 10 grams difference so i changed them and machined the underside of the pistons remove some weight and added oil holes for the pins from the ring lands.and still weight 610 grams with out the pins and use 5.7 rods but with the short stroke the rod ratio isn't that bad.
If 8000 rpm on a frequent basis is the plan, I would suggest a steel crank, aftermarket rods and good lightweight floating pistons, with a valve train to match, and excellent machine work. I know guys ran factory stuff to 8000 and beyond, it was new then, and the parts got a lot of prep, most of the guys that made those parts live were machinists. 7000 rpm is more doable. How much cam are you planning?
Save yourself some headaches. New Scat rods are cheaper than working up a set of Chevy rods and you'll have a better end product. If you want to step up, look at Manley Sportsmaster rods.
I've heard bad stories about Eagle cranks and rods being prone to failure. I'd go with Scat H-beams if I was spending the money. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sca-6570020
I've got a motor that has no oil pressure it's the third eagle crankshaft that has cracked talked the customer into something better, they had to be machined before using.
I've used 327 "cloverleaf" rods with ARP bolts in my last 301 with good results but I've been collecting parts to build a new 301 for years. I've got a new pair of old Oliver forged steel rods for the next one.
OK, I’ll ask. What the heck is a Chevy green rod and how do you ID one? Never heard that term before.
67 Z28 part numbers: The head to use is the double hump # 3928445 with the 2.02 intakes and 1.60 exhaust valves. The con rods for 67 302 small journal are # 3927145. The 67 small journal crank thats tufftrided # 3917265. Std. bore piston for 302 11:1 comp. is #23946876, the .030 over 11:1 is # 3946882 . Cam # 3927140 duration at .050 I: 256 E: 268 lift I: .469 E: .483 centerline 112 , or cam # 3965754 which may have to have valve relief cut in pistons the duration is I: 262 E: 273 lift I: .489 E: .509 centerlie 112.
In the late '60s and early '70s I built a number of 301s. But it was a process. You would pick through a few blocks that would bore to 4" and still have a decent wall thickness, bridge the center main caps, etc. But you could build a legit 7200 RPM engine. The 301 is one of my favorite small blocks, along with the 331, 377, and long rod 406. Unless there is a specific reason, emotional or rational, if I was building a 301 today I would not start with a 283 block. And I am aware that's sacrilege to some. But a four bolt main 350 block is more available, affordable, and stronger option. A good crank, aftermarket rods, and a good set of heads and you should end up with a very stout 301.
The Jalopy Journal
