[65fasback]

Factory 302 rod from an earlier engine. Showing this so you can see the parting line down the beam.

 

[65fasback]

289 rods out of my engine. Beams ground down flat, balancing pad completely ground off the small end, shot peened for a nice uniform finish and better rod bolts. For the people who wonder why those old 289‘s could hold together at higher RPM. Here is your visual.

 

[65fasback]

More modern version I will be using of a readily available affordable rod for about the same application. I like it and the fully floating wrist pin.

 

[65fasback]

Of the aftermarket beam.

 

[Ed Curtis]

 

[MyPartsAre"Too Big" Man]

 

[Mark O'Neal]

Polish the beams and add AMC rod bolts and you have the best version of a 289 rod available to normal humans in the 60s and 70s.

But....it is 2022, Chinese alternatives abound.

 

[65fasback]

Yours is longer. Doh!

 

[superirish]

289 rods out of my engine. Beams ground down flat, balancing pad completely ground off the small end, shot peened for a nice uniform finish and better rod bolts. For the people who wonder why those old 289‘s could hold together at higher RPM. Here is your visual.

I'd ground down that seam on several junkers I put together, wondered if it was worthwhile to make the sides flat, or just smooth it out so parting seam was gone.

 

[Mark O'Neal]

I'd ground down that seam on several junkers I put together, wondered if it was worthwhile to make the sides flat, or just smooth it out so parting seam was gone.

Option 2

 

[ndmp40]

I used a custom Cunningham rod on the first 347 I built (using a reground 351 cast crank).

 

[superirish]

Option 2

That's what I've done, never ground them flat, seemed to me like it would weaken them.

 

[Mark O'Neal]

That's what I've done, never ground them flat, seemed to me like it would weaken them.

It's difficult to make something stronger by removing metal.

 

[65fasback]

A more accurate description of these rods may be that the beams were ground down smooth. The beams are not perfectly flat. They were then shot peened. Left a very nice uniform finish.