Sorry Charmer, but I don't need another SO...but I do have some info:
Rods...428CJ rods (and other HP FEs) had a 13/32 rod bolt & nut, number C7AE stamped on it. C7AE rods also came with 3/8" bolt & nut in other applications.
428SCJ and 427 SO came with Le Mans rods, which have a 7/16" capscrew that screws into the rod from the cap side...no nut on it. The Le Mans rod is the best Ford ever made for the FE with the 13/32 bolt & nut rod 2nd best. Ford also made another rod similar to the Le Mans rod which was wider and heavier. being wider, it needed a special crankshaft, and to my knowledge was used in NASCAR engines of the time.
I haven't seen an original '68 engine that was actually put in a car, but everything I ever read states they came with the 13/32 rod and a cast crank. They also came with a cast iron intake (single 4 bbl). They also came with the low riser heads, as opposed to the medium risers found on most '65-67 SO. The C4AE casting number listed as a 66 SO head confuses me, but sometimes that's a normal state of mind too.
Good Luck Guys,
Dan