Anyone ever use the chevy truck "X" rods for their 350 engine build????... These rods have an "x" forged into the beam and are beefier than the car style rods... Post pictures if ya got'em!!.. Thanks guys!..
Ive used em - they are the same as pink rods without the extra magnafluxing and inspection thus no pink paint
When i was building V8s in the eighties i knew them as Z28 rod also, i think, it was while ago.Good rods,just what a 350 needs with its rod/stroke ratio.
ive read somewhere and i cant remember where but those pink rods are a joke,they were colored for some assembly reason. again i cant remeber but they arent what we always thought they were.now i gotta spend a few days going thru some old magazines!! im not sayin they are a joke im just saying that they werent what we thought them to be. i can rememeber that much of the damn article anyway.lol
The "x" rods that I used came from the '70-'71 Chevy/GMC 350 4-bbl pickup engines... Those also had a "steel" crank and a 4-bolt block with nodular iron caps... Not sure on the nickle content in the block... I've seen blocks that had "020" cast into the timing chain cavity... Still a great lower end to work with for a hot rod motor..
I used them all the time back in the day. I would polish the sides, then shot peen the entire rod with old rod bolts in place(and protectors for bearing surfaces of course), heat treat them in the oven and swap out the stock bolts with ARPs. they lived behind 500+hp street/strip motors all day. Hans
These "x" rods have less material on the ends for weight balancing I believe... So they pretty much weigh the same as the car rods... Damn, I wish I had some pics to post..
X rods and "0" rods were used for the "pink" rod cores. Different production processes than regular rods.. They were always in seperate baskets when on the assembly line floor. I used to be in the Chevrolet V-8 Van Slyke engine facility back in the day. Early 68-69 production and some service rods were "dipped" in bearing material on small end for floating pins. Later went to press fit,.
I remember reading an article once where they tried to hold .0003" on the L-88 bbc rod small ends and installed floater pins without using bushings... And they ended up scrapping that idea..
Always a "smart" idea to install those ARP's before "re-sizing" the BiG end on a Sunnen hone machine...
If you're looking for the "stronger" rod, the "O" is much better choice! I've placed a photo below of both side-by-side and you can see the difference on the beam rails. You can also see the difference between the balance-pads, usually the thinner these pads are the stronger the rods are, most of the material is in the "body" of the rods. Thanks, Gary in N.Y. P.S. We get numerous requests still from the "resto" guys for the "O" rods, we are running low but I still have some on the shelf. They came in the "DZ" and the early "LT's".
Unless there is a rules reason that you have to use the stock rods why not just buy the Eagle or other aftermarket H-beam rods. They are stronger and come with ARP fasteners installed. I have built several SBCs using them and the machine shop always checks them first just to be sure. I have had no failures yet.
H beam rods tend to be heavy - usually i the realm of around 50gms a rod. This will require rebalancing, and the H beams usually are not needed. The stock replacement I beam rods like those from SCAT are the way to go these day for anything less than a race motor. They are forged out of 4340, have an improved design, are made to better tolerances, are much stronger, weigh the same, come with ARP bolts, and are brand new. Can't go wrong for under $200. Costs more than that to rework a set of stock rods these days.
Because I'm a cheapskate... Plus those stock rods were forged and machined here in the United States... Unlike some of the aftermarket rods...
Oh, I don't know... I don't mind working with a set of stockers... Didn't you know that all the scat stuff is made overseas???.. I think a set of stock rods if prepped right can handle 8000 RPM's all day long...
I wonder how the newer "cracked cap" powdered metal sbc rods hold up to high performance builds????.....
They don't. Once you get north of about 450 hp most everyone replaces the rods. Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Are the "O" rods cast the same way on the caps? I found a set of "X" rods in my stash, not sure if the "O" rods are identified the same way.
I know this started as an old thread, but checked the drawer yesterday, I picked up a set of X rods quite some time ago, they were fitted with ARP bolts, sized and weight matched. Came from a performance machine shop out of middle Michigan. Should be good when the time comes.
Here's a pair of the ones I bought. Look close you can see the ARP logo on the bolt heads, X on the cap. The pin ends were polished down as needed.