“X” style connecting rods
 

Digging they my storage today I found an original set of Henry Ford X style connecting rods. My brother told me they are on the rare side and Henry didn’t build many model A engines with these in them. I searched on the net for info and a value with not much luck.

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

Unless someone knows more than I do, they are early 28 (AR) rods, Someone had a set for sale at Turlock last year....

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

thank you for dating them to about early 28'. I see you stated "AR" rods, that might help me find more info on them and of course maybe a value. would you happen to know what the owner of the set at Turlock was asking? that would hopefully help me out in some kinda value. here is a pic of my rods and pistons that i have. also had these old packaged NOS rings that were in the milkcrate with them. as you see in past few months with my posts, im finally finding time this winter to dig around my storage container to organize things or find a new home for this stuff and been asking Q's and posting pics of items i don't know much about. want to say thank you to all the members here for sharing the knowledge. :)

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

Ford stopped using them early in 1928 & for a good reason... I have a complete set re-built by Toledo back in the day, and would not use them.. They were used thru Jan. 1928

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

And hard for the Judges to positively determine if they were there originally - or possibly even see them.

Can the rods be seen through the breather tube? The answer is NO because of the breather tube baffles - besides I don't think the Judges are allowed to remove the breather cap.

Joe K

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

Some feel early '28 cars are the holy grail..in some ways they are,ford cheapened the car as production advanced,for instance,the incredible amount of forgings were reduced..but in a lot of ways the car was improved,bendix starter drive for one.

Judging standards take in very little of how well the car was restored operationally, a proper appearance wins shows..

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

I have never seen or heard of a judge looking for what type of rod was being used.. Yes they can,will,and do take off the oil filler cap as there were several changes to it..

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

I would donate them to the Gilmore Museum. If you need new rods, buy the new ones from Rich Falluca..

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

I appreciate the info on the X rods. I guess they are on the rare side.

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I have a set in my old rods pile. I don't think they have any real value.

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

No value other than conversation piece. Ive got a few 5 gal. pails full of those

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

interesting wall hangers.

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

I agree with Railcarmover, Ford always was looking for a more "practical" way to make the "A". I was told that early hot rodders preferred the early connecting rod because they were stronger than the later version. Someone a lot smarter than me can answer that.

In fine point judging, it really doesn't matter what type of piston you use because you really can't see them. During judging you aren't asked what type of connecting rod your car has. However, I must say that the early "X" style connecting rod and the six hole side cover are in A495 even though you can't see them, because I would not feel right doing it any other way.

Operationally, during fine point judging a car must complete the mandatory tour. That is usually five miles or so. It must just complete the tour under its own power. There are no performance criteria.

As for the early Model A's being the Holy Grail, a 1909s VDB Lincoln penny has more value for coin collectors than a 1909s Lincoln penny but it still only spends like a penny. My very early Model A, A495, is still just a car but it has many parts that you will not find on other Model A's. Because Ford rushed the "A" into production, many mistakes were made and eventually many parts were improved upon for performance and/or for economical reasons.

A good example of this was the left hand emergency brake. The handle controlled both the emergency brake and the service brakes. An old timer told me about the time he was bouncing down a bumpy hill on an icy day. The vibrations "ratched" the emergency brake handle into action right before he hit an intersection. He said that the brakes locked up and he spun through that intersection as cars drove by. The left hand brake may define, for some, the early "A" but it is a great example of a poor design that needed to be improved. I wonder how long Henry Ford would have stayed with that design if not compelled to change it.

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

Dean,what body style is A495? In the oral histories there are some first hand accounts of the massive changeover and the resulting production issues.Considered the largest industrial project at the time,the design and retooling for the A stands as an amazing achievement.

http://cdm15889.contentdm.oclc.org/c...on/p15889coll2

the link above takes you to the index of the oral histories,complied in the early fifties,they sat down with the major figures involved with Ford in the early years.

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

A495 is a phaeton. To see it look at the cover of the Hemmings Motor News for March. It was in the Hemmings Model A calendar a few years back. They surprised me by using a photo from that shoot for March's cover.

Thanks so much for that link to the oral histories. That looks awesome. I'll jump into them but not today. I just got my frozen tractor started and I'll be plowing and snowblowing the foot+ of snow we just got for much of the day.

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

FWIW, Ford started using the X style connecting rods on the 1927 Model Ts.

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Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

You must have a "THING" with cotter keys ??.. I remember a few years back you started a big fight when a person asked how they were bent as original from Ford..

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https://i.imgur.com/YeNpL3C.jpg?1

Begging forgiveness,but that car is too nice not to show off. Blow snow,Im dealing with rain..

Re: “X” style connecting rods
 

Wot, you never used Xray vision glasses?