There is a guy here in Austin that tells a story about racing a Sunbeam
Alpine in Colorado with a novel solution to this question. He used Honda
rods and had pads welded to the sides of the big ends and then had those
machined to fit the crank journals. Add custom pistons to correct the rest
and he was done.
Bob Kramer
rkramer3@austin.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jack W. Drews" <vinttr4@geneseo.net>
To: <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 6:01 AM
Subject: Re: Moldex crank, now bearing width
> If you look at Honda type engines, even those putting out 800 hp, you find
> that the bearing width is narrower than the TR. if you look at what NASCAR
> does, their bearing width is less. If you talk to rod manufacturers, you
> find that the reason our rods cost $250 apiece rather than the $50 that
> performance Chev and Ford rods cost is that our bearing width is too wide
> to enable them to use their standard forgings, so the blank must be cut
> from a piece of plate. Therefore it would seem that our bearing width is
> not required because of our hp or torque.
>
> Now, I am "told" that Hendrick Motorsports will sell you rods that are
> narrower, and that you can put the narrower rod on the wider journal and
> just put spacers on the gudgeon pin to center the rod. This would enable
us
> to use production rods made for the V8's -- yes, there are some forgings
> out there that have the same 6.250" length as our rods.
>
> Why not?
>
> Well, it makes me nervous enough about longevity, and I can't afford to
> trash a motor, so I'm not going to try it.
>
> However -- if we could come up with a way to put spacers next to the big
> end of rod, then we could do it. Just think about it -- if we could use
> really high quality aftermarket rods made for th V8 crowd, they get eight
> rods for $500 as opposed to our four Carillos for $1400.
>
> At 08:03 PM 8/25/2004, Larry Young wrote:
> >I too am having a hard time dealing with the economic pain of Moldex
crank
> >and Carillo rods for something around $3000. I'm told that Triumph rods
> >are unusual (and therefore expensive) because they have a very wide
> >bearing journal. Would it be crazy to have a Moldex crank made with
> >narrow rod journals, so that some sort of commodity (i.e. cheap - Honda,
> >whatever) rod could be used?
> >Larry Young
> >
> >Richard Taylor wrote:
> >
> >>1. If one "does" a Moldex crank, is one then obliged to then cough up
the
> >>resources for Carrillo rods...and then go for some sort of special
pistons?
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