Long vs. Short Connecting rods
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,136
Likes: 1
From: Fayetteville, NC
Car: 84 Z28 Convertible 2 Seater
Engine: Dart Little-M SBC 400
Transmission: Pro-built Automatics 700R4
Axle/Gears: Strange Engineering 3:73
Long vs. Short Connecting rods
This have been a very hard decision to make and I have found something that leans me to getting 6.0in rods
http://www.grapeaperacing.com/GrapeA...rodslength.cfm
http://www.grapeaperacing.com/GrapeA...rodslength.cfm
To add:
My street 383 CID has 6" rods (not installed yet). My latemodel 360 CID has 6.25 rods. 15 years ago we we're running sub 6" rods.
We have a saying "Trophy girls kiss those with the longest rods"
During hot shoeing remember most of us (exclude saltflats, daytona 500), our motors are spending all it's time accelerating. Engine acceleration won't show up on most dynos, thats why you see on this forum people don't know the difference. Also they are most likely tuning the car for the shorter rod. A longer rod in a given cam timing the torque peak will occur higher in the range, the advantage is more area under the curve as they say.
If your only plan on cam timing too 5500 rpm you probly won't notice a difference. But if 6500 is your peak you can tune for more area under the curve.
Even if the car is no faster, the ring sealing advantage alone is worth the cost on a longer rod build.
My street 383 CID has 6" rods (not installed yet). My latemodel 360 CID has 6.25 rods. 15 years ago we we're running sub 6" rods.
We have a saying "Trophy girls kiss those with the longest rods"
During hot shoeing remember most of us (exclude saltflats, daytona 500), our motors are spending all it's time accelerating. Engine acceleration won't show up on most dynos, thats why you see on this forum people don't know the difference. Also they are most likely tuning the car for the shorter rod. A longer rod in a given cam timing the torque peak will occur higher in the range, the advantage is more area under the curve as they say.
If your only plan on cam timing too 5500 rpm you probly won't notice a difference. But if 6500 is your peak you can tune for more area under the curve.
Even if the car is no faster, the ring sealing advantage alone is worth the cost on a longer rod build.
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Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 17,263
Likes: 168
From: 51°N 114°W, 3500'
Car: 87 IROC L98
Engine: 588 Alcohol BBC
Transmission: Powerglide
Axle/Gears: Ford 9"/31 spline spool/4.86
When I had a 383 it had the 400's 5.56" rod. I was buzzing the engine close to 7000 rpm and ran high 11's with it.
There's nothing wrong with a short rod engine. It's easier to build since there's no clearance machining required. They were building 383's like that for years because there were little to no aftermarket stroker pistons that used longer rods many years ago.
Trouble with using a longer rod in a SBC is the deck height. Installing a longer rod means moving the wrist pin higher in the piston. It's already very close to the oil control rings. If the block deck was higher you could have a longer rod and still have the wrist pin below the ring lands.
BBC engines already have the advantage of longer rods because of the taller deck height compared to SBC. Using a tall deck BBC truck block allows even more rod length.
There's nothing wrong with a short rod engine. It's easier to build since there's no clearance machining required. They were building 383's like that for years because there were little to no aftermarket stroker pistons that used longer rods many years ago.
Trouble with using a longer rod in a SBC is the deck height. Installing a longer rod means moving the wrist pin higher in the piston. It's already very close to the oil control rings. If the block deck was higher you could have a longer rod and still have the wrist pin below the ring lands.
BBC engines already have the advantage of longer rods because of the taller deck height compared to SBC. Using a tall deck BBC truck block allows even more rod length.
That page was 100% right. Whatever you do don't confuse race engines with street engines. They are two very different critters. Like the page said, different rod combos are done to find 5-10 hp. Your car will change that much on the street depending if it's 85 or 65 degrees out. Most enthusiasts are limited by budget. 6 inch combos are used less so they generally cost more. If you can find some for the 5.7 price then I'd say go for it. Else stick with the stock length.
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