Connecting Rod Reconditioning

[Matey79]

Hello Everyone. I have a question with the big ends of the rods having some of the backing of the bearing impregnated into the surface after they are ran(500 miles circle track). Scotchbrite seems to not remove anything, and a quick pass with the rod hone seems to get it out BUT the spec for the housing bore we use is dead nuts, varying one tenth either way. My question is, rather than having to cut the rod and rod caps, then honing, is anyone just honing to a bigger housing bore, then using the bigger OD bearings?. Sorry for any confusion. Thanks guys.

[highVE]

Matey79 sorry if i sound unknowlegable, however i would not go through all that hassle just to get markings off the housing of the rod. first of all i don't think its a good idea to even "bump" the rods on the rod hone, even only removing .0002", you are giving up some of your bearing crush. and trying to get a bigger od bearing sound like to much trouble, if scotch brite or 280g sand paper won't remove it i would leave it. sorry to sound negative, i jost don't see the huge deal. good luck!

[CNC BLOCKS]

Hello Everyone. I have a question with the big ends of the rods having some of the backing of the bearing impregnated into the surface after they are ran(500 miles circle track). Scotchbrite seems to not remove anything, and a quick pass with the rod hone seems to get it out BUT the spec for the housing bore we use is dead nuts, varying one tenth either way. My question is, rather than having to cut the rod and rod caps, then honing, is anyone just honing to a bigger housing bore, then using the bigger OD bearings?. Sorry for any confusion. Thanks guys.

We have seen many used rods that have come from the Cup teams that have been a few tenths oversize and we have done that to some of the rods to get a little more oil clearance and so far in 29 years we had no issues.

We have dusted many Carillo rods just to clean up th bearing bores and have had no issues.

[Adger Smith]

I think you are making a big deal out of a nothing issue. In my opinion it is far more important to get the impinged material out of the rod. I have done cleanup hones on rods for many years(even alum.) with zero problems. The size, when dealing with a few .0000, is not as important as people think.
Have you ever heated a crank in the spray washer & checked the growth vs heating a rod & checking it's size change? Do the same with a block & check the main bores. You might see somethings that open your eyes. In most cases when you map the growth through different temp ranges you can see a pattern of disproportionate size change. I did a study of Chevy, Ford & Pontiac engines quite a few years ago to get a handle on what was needed to stop lower end failures & improve bearing life. One point to remember is, there is a difference in cast steel & the forged steel alloys.

One other thing to consider: if you are getting alot of metal transfer you might need more crush on the bearing or a bearing with a better backing. Metal transfer means bearing/rod movement to me.
What surface finish are you using? It might need to be smoother to promote heat transfer. The bearing might be riding on the highs of the hone pattern.

[Matey79]

The housing bore of the big end is 2.0082/2.0083. From the first build, all the way through the life of the rod we stay in this range. The Bearing number is Clevite 1664 H. The surface finish is around 15-25 Ra.

[idunno]

You would be better to eliminate the detonation causing the bearing to dance in the housing bore.

[Adger Smith]

Is this an alky engine?