I think that screwy piston end of the '76 has more to do with the casting of the rod than poor machining. If you bolt it up with the '92 on the same crank journal, I bet the pin holes line up, but the ouside rod dimensions dont. I've seen similar situations with the stud bosses on old small block heads. The holes arent centered on the bosses because of the way it was cast.

Anyway, when I've seen broken rods, its usually somewhere on the big end between the neck and bolt head.

 

the neck, big or small end? are the stock bolts any good in these?

If you have the stock rods that came with the bolts that have the football shaped head then you have a very good rod for an n/a application. The only time I have ever seen them break in a n/a application is when the rod bearing was badly starved for oil.

 

Man that 76 rod has a Bad Core Shift Problem on the Piston End.
I wouldn't run the Peice of ****!!!! I don't like that at all..
My machinest said they will Break right at the base of the Rod, where is Comes to the Big End..

 

heres the problem i have:barf:

the top rod is a 92 cast marine/truck rod, the bottom one is the 69 rod cast in76, notice the 92 has thicker ribs

on the right is the 76 rod, notice how its thinner where the "big end" meets the "neck" of the rod

the one on the right is the 76 rod(great machining there)*EDIT*great casting there *EDIT*, but the 76 rod has SLIGHTLY thicker webbing on the neck

overall shot


heres the problem


-both are marine/truck rods with "football" style machining around the heads of the bolts

-92s already have been machined with stock rod bolts

-76 rods already have ARP bolts

-76 and 92 rods are shot peened

-76 rods have a SLIGHT advantage of being thicker at the neck

-76 rods have weaker bigger ends i guess(less material where they meet the neck)



so what would break first, the bolts, the bottom end, the neck would bend or the small end would give away? I dont know

 

ttt for you, im subscribing! I would be using my reconditioned rods for my 396 stroker.

 

I don't know where they break, but had two come out of an old truck motor bent pretty bad. I've heard they are pretty strong, as far as stock goes.