Originally Posted by Jeff Lee (Post 176048)

Getting another rod of better quality should not take long with NHRA. I've done it in less than two weeks. Eagle and Scat are not high on my list for quality parts. Try getting a Manley, Crower or Oliver. You don't have to run a specific bolt either. There are much better bolts out there than ARP 2000's which is what I assume you have. Go for a bolt with a much higher tinsel strength which requires greater torque to stretch the same amount.
I feel this is so important that missing some races is worth it. Blow up another engine and you'll want to have a bon-fire! Just get on the phone Monday morning and get it done.

Originally Posted by Rich Biebel (Post 176021)

Scat parts are somewhat questionable.....probably made in China...
Rods maybe can take it...bolts sound like they failed.
Possibly you can find a better rod that you can send to NHRA for aprroval...and make sure to use good bolts no matter what rods you use.

You can't make an engine go to an rpm that it is not going to survive at and if your driver insists on trying to go to a higher rpm than is safe......there must be a rev limiter capability in your ignition......I would suggest that you use it and especially on a burnout.....It is very easy to let the rpm get away from you. I use one in my dragster......I did not use one in any of my doorcars but I have made a lot of runs and always control that rpm during a burnout......There is really no need to do a burnout more than about 500 rpm above your converters flash rpm......so 6000 or maybe a bit more is gonna be plenty........8000 is reserved for Competition Eliminator entrants......LOL

Originally Posted by Rich Biebel (Post 176086)

Whatever rod bolt you use you have to really be carefull how you tighten the bolts and what lube you use. I once had a rod bolt failure on a Crower billet stroker rod and it was definately from improper tightening of the rod bolts. I pulled a piston out of an engine I built in a friends car. Working conditions were very poor and when I put it back together I did not have the lube I needed to get those rod bolts torqued properly. I used oil. Crower at the time sepcified oil but there was NO WAY you could get those bolts to their specified torque with plain oil. They would tend to seize up with plain oil that is likely what happened. Sometime later during the season a rod came apart and it was the one I had out. Luckily all we needed was a couple new pistons and rods.....The orginal problem was from a head that leaked water in an intake port.....

I experimented and made my own rod bolt lube...oil and moly paste mixed together......stopped the seizing as the bolts were tightened

Crower supplied an anti-seize paste with later rods......as does ARP

So My point is rod bolt lube plays a huge part in getting the bolts installed properly. I used a torque wrench for many years with no issues. I also have a rod bolt stretch gauge and have used it as well. Some rods like Olivers use an initial torque + a torque angle gauge to set the bolts......Olivers are the best in my opinion......

Another one is to make sure the bolts fit properly.......It is possible for the rod bolt head to not seat in the rod properly.....rare but possible.....

I used Manley Sportsman rods in my LT-1 Stocker a few years ago...a very good rod for a SB Chev....and would probably be good in your application if you could get something to fit.....

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich (Post 176142)

I've put in at least a couple hundred sets of Eagle rods. The only rods I've seen broke were rods that were in cylinders that had the entire cylinder wall collapse. The rods were bent nearly double before anything broke. And those were the I-beam rods. I've never had a broken Eagle H-beam rod, in anything I've built personally (and I've built plenty with them), although I know some who have.

I know several guys better than me, with more horsepower than me, and turning more RPM than me, who use Eagle H-beam rods. We have Eagle H-beam rods in the iron 427, and a new set to go in the new iron 427. They are the Eagle 6.135" H-beam rod with L-19 bolts and the "ESP Armor" option. With a 750 gram piston assembly (counting the piston, rings, locks, spacers, and pins) and turning no less than 7800 on every pass, we've got no problems.

If Eagle has an H-beam rod that will fit, get the L-19 bolts and the ESP Armor option, and get them approved, they should do fine. I know guys with 9000 RPM 850HP Super Stock engines with Eagle H-beam rods with L-19 bolts in them. If they wanted, or felt they needed, an Oliver or a Crower, I know for sure they can afford them.