If you look at Honda type engines, even those putting out 800 hp, you find
that the bearing width is narrower than the TR. if you look at what NASCAR
does, their bearing width is less. If you talk to rod manufacturers, you
find that the reason our rods cost $250 apiece rather than the $50 that
performance Chev and Ford rods cost is that our bearing width is too wide
to enable them to use their standard forgings, so the blank must be cut
from a piece of plate. Therefore it would seem that our bearing width is
not required because of our hp or torque.
Now, I am "told" that Hendrick Motorsports will sell you rods that are
narrower, and that you can put the narrower rod on the wider journal and
just put spacers on the gudgeon pin to center the rod. This would enable us
to use production rods made for the V8's -- yes, there are some forgings
out there that have the same 6.250" length as our rods.
Why not?
Well, it makes me nervous enough about longevity, and I can't afford to
trash a motor, so I'm not going to try it.
However -- if we could come up with a way to put spacers next to the big
end of rod, then we could do it. Just think about it -- if we could use
really high quality aftermarket rods made for th V8 crowd, they get eight
rods for $500 as opposed to our four Carillos for $1400.
At 08:03 PM 8/25/2004, Larry Young wrote:
>I too am having a hard time dealing with the economic pain of Moldex crank
>and Carillo rods for something around $3000. I'm told that Triumph rods
>are unusual (and therefore expensive) because they have a very wide
>bearing journal. Would it be crazy to have a Moldex crank made with
>narrow rod journals, so that some sort of commodity (i.e. cheap - Honda,
>whatever) rod could be used?
>Larry Young
>
>Richard Taylor wrote:
>
>>1. If one "does" a Moldex crank, is one then obliged to then cough up the
>>resources for Carrillo rods...and then go for some sort of special pistons?
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