Steel rods or trickery?

[ovalracer]

Where's the best place to get some half decent steel rods for a 1600 from? The usual ones i'm told are no good above 8.5k rpm. My man reckons you might be able to bodge something in from a 1500 diesel maybe? Just after a bit of background info really, engine's already got the big end rod bolts. Anyone built one of these for circuit racing and found a cure for the girly rod situation? cheers lads

[Will F]

Steel rods are steel rods. They are all the same. Looking at about ?700 for a set.
You cant really 'bodge' anything from anywhere else! At 8500 I cant really see any bodge holding up!

A cheaper method is to de-seem the standard rods, this makes them stronger and is cheaper.

[ovalracer]

How do you mean de-seem? like stress reliveve them? polish all the rough off? All it is with ford engines there's always a better rod that just needs this or that to fit in and make all the difference, no such thing with the vaux' then? Might just jam it together and save up for the steel ones eh, probably be more cost effective in the long run, save keep re-blocking the thing every month! cheers mate

[Nick]

getting them shotpeened and de-seamed should help you out - save you ?600 anyway.

by doing this, you pre stress the surface. as the metal has microscopic fractures and imperfections on the surface, it basically forces these inside the rod - helps it give a bit more strength

[Aragorn]

deseamed rods might handle 8k, but 8500? dangerous territory there imo

[Stuart]

ill let you know in 3 weeks lol

[Will F]

SBD tell me that new GM rods (that havent been headted or pessed) are good for 8k!

The small block 16v rods are pretty strong believe it or not, but they get substantially weaker once they have been heated to removed pistons etc...

[ovalracer]

The fella that builds the 1400 nova engines here in portsmouth (FGS racing, no one's ever heard of him neither have you lot right?) Reckons they'll pull 8500 easy on an oval track. But then that's peak revs you wouldn't want to hang on to it for long! That said though i was watching the stockrods just last night at Arlington stadium in eastbourne and a Few did hit there limiters on the straights (that'll be 8500revs). Watching those little 1400s (ordinary pierburg, no headwork, standard manifolds just allowed a cam and compression) they were like rockets, anyone ever get chance to watch a stockrod race do it! You won't believe how quick they really are www.stockcar.co.uk watch those and you won't want a 2.0l 16v no more. Thanks for all your responses though lads, all very appreciated!

[BigRuss]

My old 1600 8v Bowyer developments engine used to regularly have 8250 on std rods.

My new 1400 16v John Read engine revs to 9,000rpm no prob's at all 8) , but it's on steel rods.

In my opinion std rods L+B, shot peened etc.. should be god for 8250 quite reliably.

[S_Gault]

8300 on good new std rods.. but they wont last forever... life them to one full season.

Above that its steel h section forged like arrow.

fit and forget.

Steven