rod weight ?
 

I was checking my rods and I find one which is 4 grams lighter than the other 7. it is all at the big end. so how important is this?
thanks Rod in AZ

Re: rod weight ?
 

Depends on who you talk to, myself I balance everything I do+/-1/2 gram, a lot will tell you this is getting carried away, my theory is closer you get rods,pistons,pins, the better your balance will be on your crank.
Mike Taylor 3601

Re: rod weight ?
 

I think that if you've paid for them to be balanced ,they'd have to
be going back. bob

Re: rod weight ?
 

Rod,

I typically try to make all of them the same. Most manufacturers of aftermarket rods and pistons say that if they are all within 2 grams they are ok, but it really only takes a few seconds more to make them the same so why not do it 100%

The only exception I make is with aftermarket "H" beam rods. I do not like grinding off any of the ribbing on the bottom of those rods. Sometimes you can take some weight off the sides but sometimes it is impossible to make them exactly the same.

That being said, are you having the crankshaft balanced ? All of the pistons and rods can be within a thousandth of a gram but that does not make a bit of difference if the crankshaft is not balanced to those weights.

Re: rod weight ?
 

The motor will never notice it, if it bothers you though just have it corrected. Back in the early 70s when money was scarce for me I ran my BB Chryslers with unballanced parts and always turned them 7K in the lights, the motors ran as smooth as the ballanced ones.When I started working in a machine shop in the mid/late 70s I couldn't believe how out of ballance the stock BB Chyslers were. 4 grams is nothing to worry about IMO.

Re: rod weight ?
 

I agree with Paul.

Re: rod weight ?
 

4 grams is alot for a set of rods, What rods are they ??

I seen alot of prebalanced assemblies where the pistons are still sealed in the box and the rods are still sealed in the plastic packages and guys run them all the time.

I see a lot of the GM circle track crate engines and those rods are all over the place and they run just fine lap after lap.

4 grams should not cause a problem.

Re: rod weight ?
 

thanks for all the replies.
if 4 grams is OK, then I am in good shape. still it ticks me off.
Rod in AZ