Eagle rods losing feathers

[KeithBrown]

Originally posted by Sizzler


I use Crower rods.

I think the Amish might be using foreign iron on their wagons.

I agree that foreign supply of parts is necessary. I don't like the idea that the cost savings are at the expense of the workers' health and well-being though. There should be some sort of limit on the countries we're allowed to use for off-shore manufacturing based on criteria that includes some human-rights/treatment.

My opinion.

I concur with you - one of the problems though is whose definition of human rights/treatment do you use?

Frankly speaking, I'm glad I live in the USA and although there is overregulation, relatively speaking, our workplaces are safe and employees generally treated well, but if you have a large population of dirt poor workers, their idea of safe and human rights seem to vary a great deal from country to country.

Heck, we can't even agree within the so-called developed nations of the world.

Regards,

Keith

[scottj]

The biggest problem with Eagle rods or any of the Chinese pieces is not the machining. Like Ed stated, in the case of Eagle, the finish machining is done in the U.S although a rather poor job of it at that. The biggest problem with the Chinese pieces is the so-called 4340 material. What has become common knowledge in the circle track community is that Chinese 4340 steel is not the same as US 4340 steel. Look at any advertisement for budget rods that is aimed at the circle track community, if they use US steel they say so. When the circle track guys wet mag at the end of the season, if they ran Eagles they are virtually guaranteed to find one or more rods with cracks around the big end. A set of premium US rods rarely develops cracks even after many seasons in high HP applications.
Since street/performance applications vary so much from one application to the next, you don’t get an accurate assessment of rods limitations. I think you could accurately say, that since street/performance applications rarely reveal the limitations of the Chinese pieces, using them is a relatively safe gamble or no gamble for most, statistically speaking. Up the demands to that of circle track and the differences become quite dramatic.
Scott

[SFfiredog]

Originally posted by pathenry


SF, I made no mention that the bolts gave loose!, had that been the case these people would have blasted ARP.
I torque mine three times before final set and buy new ones on the next rebuild.

Hi Perry,
If you re-read my post about the rod bolts you will see that is was pertaining to a quote from Mr. Fixit (quote attached). I was not commenting on your particular rod failure experiences.
As I said in my post ARP makes an excellent product. However, anyone who is building a high RPM or high horsepower motor would be foolish not to replace the supplied ARP 8740 bolts with the upgraded ARP L19 bolts.
--Mike

[427 S/O]

Read Perry!!

[snake eater]

Broken rods ???? Bad rod bolts ??? Chinese parts ???? Custom engines blowing up on the dyno and street ???

Man, you guys sure do put up with a lot. Gotta give you credit for that !!!!

Of course, I would not know about such things (disasters). Maybe it's because us LT-1 guys have factory-built engines and spend our time on the road.

[Mr.Fixit]

Oh yeah, I never ever heard of a chevy engine having a part break. Especially the factory assembled ones. You wouldn't know if you spun a rod bearing because you wouldn't be able to hear it over all the piston slap chevy builds into their crate motors. Push the power rating a bit higher than the factory crap, and you'll need better rotating assembly too. nice second post

[bmalone]

Yeah, nice 2nd post DA. Snake eater? Is that like pencil puffer?

Give me a break. Still LMAO. Guess that's why I go out of my way to find chevettes--I mean corvettes.

[Back in Black]

[avanti-176]

Snake eater,
As a vette owner (being sold to buy the cobra) I have had many fun filled miles in my car. But is it the end all of automobiles No Way!
You my friend are for vette owners (most of whom are perfectly nice people) the equivalent of what Hells Angels members have done for the name of motorcyclists.

everyone ELSE have a good day!
Dan

p.s. as soon as the '67 427 vettes hit the $300,000 mark then maybe someone here will listen.

p.s.s. I have a severly bent rod from my stock vette motor hanging in my garage as a reminder to use better parts.

[SFfiredog]

With a name like snake eater he ought to come to San Francisco. I know a few people that would LOVE to meet him gag!
Snake eater? Peter puffer? Pole muncher?
The Eagle rods used in the above mentioned motors are mostly Chevy sizes. Maybe the Ford motors didn't blow up, they were just vomiting out the foul parts. Engine diarrhea.
--Mike

[aumoore]

Now you guys have gone and brought up the foreign manufacturing thing one of my pet peeves

Why is it done? To satisfy our need of lots of cheap products and due to greed. Why make a $45 dollar shirt in the USA for a cost of $15 when you can get it made in China for $7.

Here is my problem with this whole free trade thing. I only got one good thing from world history and that is the Roman Empire got so rich, fat and happy that they did nothing for themselves. Hell even their armies were paid mercenaries from other countries. I see the USA going down the same path in the name of profits. Where do we draw the line on foreign made goods? We have lost almost all electronics, clothing, about 1/2 of our cars are foreign made, etc. What next our fighter planes made in Afghanistan and flown by out of work Russian pilots? Don't laugh because it has happened in the past and it can happen again.


I think we should have a choice in what we buy but in many cases we cannot find products made in the USA. We all should try to help our neighbors by buying their products so they in turn can buy your product or service.

Did you know that a lot of tax returns and accounting is being outsourced to countries like India? Pretty soon we may be all out of a job.

IMHO part of the reason the economy is faltering is because we are loosing the free trade war and as someone said Free Trade is not Fair Trade.

[Hal Copple]

in my approx 60 trips down the quarter mile, i have run about 5 corvettes, all thus far C5's, Z-06's, and some of them were modified.

Never lost to one. The best run was against a modified C5 at Rockingham about a year and a half ago.

He was running about what i was, low 12',s and so i challanged him late in the evening. The tower announcer loved it, pumped up the crowd, they all came up to the fence to watch. As i was putting on my helmet, several scruffy looking guys came up and told me "we got money on you, don't get beat by that red Corvette."

As a big national even was starting the next day, the Ford Motorsports van was there, they too came over and said "go get that guy!!"

As it turned out, we both ran our personal bests, but i took him 12.08 to his 12.20. When we both came back down the return road and along side the lanes, there was all sorts of pumped fists and happy waving from the Ford fans, especially the Motorsports support guys.

My business partner has two Porsches, a Turbo and a 911S, and his daily driver is a C5 convertible. Nice, very refined, but match for my car.

So unless you are running a hot Lingenfelter, best head for the exit, Snake Eater. By the way, Dennis Olthoff who with his dad put my motor together, has stomped the Mallet Corvettes all the time in his similar Superformance. Read the Million Dollar Shootout in the fall Car and Driver.

Down here in the South, banks won't loan money to folks that want to buy a new Chevy car.

[bmalone]

Pencil puffer--what no second reply?

[750hp]

Have any of the engine builders here ever had a Ford specific rod Eagle rod fail?

I've heard of Big Block Chev Eagle rods having MAJOR problems, but other than needing some poor machining work rectified, I haven't heard of a Ford rod letting go....

I put Eagle rods into my 460 motor 4 years ago. Many times the tach has been to 6800, even an 8100 over-rev when some idiot (me) had the rev limiter pill sitting in the glovebox, instead of attached to the MSD..... Pulled the caps off, checked the bearings, checked the bolt stretch - perfect!!!

For all that though, I wouldn't dare to put them in my supercharged motor. Crower billets for that one...

[Ron61]

My stroker motor was built with the Eagle H beam rods in 1996 and I have never had a problem at all. It doesn't rev as high as 750hps motor but I have hit a slick spot and had it slam over to 7,000 a couple of times. So far so good.

Ron

[CobraEnthusiast]

Just to tie this into the the posts on cryogenics, the eagle rods do respond to the cryogenic treatment process, but it kind of falls into the old saying "You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear" in other words they are ok after treatment, but you get what you pay for.

see more on cryogenics here!