Gerber rods ........

[hardtimes]

Anyone here ever have and/or use set of Gerber rods for Model A/B engine ?

[Jim Brierley]

Gerbers are extremely heavy, but strong. I sold mine as I didn't like the weight of them. Rods were a problem in the old days, in my opinion the stock nuts were the problem more than the rods themselves.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by Jim Brierley

Gerbers are extremely heavy, but strong. I sold mine as I didn't like the weight of them. Rods were a problem in the old days, in my opinion the stock nuts were the problem more than the rods themselves.

Hey Jim B,
Thanks, I figured that if anyone still around, 'mature' enough to remember these rods....if would be you !
I just had a set of these rods in my hands and what you say about HEAVY is accurate. So heavy, in fact, that I wondered why practical. Then thinking that these are/were very old and maybe thought to be the 'thing' back then.
No Crower 'bullet proof' type rods available back then ? And the pistons with these rods were equally brutes...in weight.

[steve hackel]

Yes I had a set of these in my second engine from Joe Gemsa 45 years ago. It would spool up slower, but pulled through the gears quite well. I can not remember much else about them now.

[Roadster62]

I put a set of Gerber rods in my Riley 4Port that I bought from Steve 45+ years ago! (World keeps getting smaller). Had another unique set of rods made from two regular Ford rods with the big end narrowed then the two were welded together, think the guy's name was Marsh. Bob

[Marshall V. Daut]

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A long shot, but...
John Gerber's former shop is one block* from the house where I now live in Davenport, Iowa. In 1999 I interviewed his widow Rose for an "SOSS" article I later wrote. Mrs. Gerber was as sharp as a tack, even though she was past 90 (she has since passed away, of course). She took my friend and me on a tour of John's workshop, which is still standing, but cleared out of speed goodies. John had died of cancer in 1979 and Rose kept the shop as if he had just shut off the lights and gone to bed. WOW! I expected John Gerber to walk in at any moment and start grinding crankshafts. One was still in the lathe awaiting finish work! Lots of speed goodies everywhere, including Gerber rods hanging on the wall. Rose said that when she passed, everything was to be donated to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum in Knoxville, Iowa. So, I assume that the rods and all John's speed goodies are there now, either on display or in storage. PERHAPS one could buy extra Gerber rods from them? I don't know if the museum will sell donated parts, but it's worth asking.
Marshall
* Make that "TWO blocks", if it matters at all.

[Jim Brierley]

Dan Iandola bought 2 or 3 sets of raw forgings from John many years ago. I bought 1 set from Dan but never machined them. People like Crower and Cunningham were not making rods back then, and yes, pistons back then were also heavy, unlike Ross, etc. now. I had a set of doubled B rods too, made for a Model B converted to diesel, they were equally heavy. The guy that bought them from me ran them at Bonneville, and promptly broke one! Pontiac rods were converted for the B, plenty strong enough and lighter than Gerber. I ran Ford B rods on babbitt with a drilled crank, for many years. Always with aircraft or other good nuts, and had good luck with them.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by Marshall V. Daut

A long shot, but...
John Gerber's former shop is one block* from the house where I now live in Davenport, Iowa. In 1999 I interviewed his widow Rose for an "SOSS" article I later wrote. Mrs. Gerber was as sharp as a tack, even though she was past 90 (she has since passed away, of course). She took my friend and me on a tour of John's workshop, which is still standing, but cleared out of speed goodies. John had died of cancer in 1979 and Rose kept the shop as if he had just shut off the lights and gone to bed. WOW! I expected John Gerber to walk in at any moment and start grinding crankshafts. One was still in the lathe awaiting finish work! Lots of speed goodies everywhere, including Gerber rods hanging on the wall. Rose said that when she passed, everything was to be donated to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum in Knoxville, Iowa. So, I assume that the rods and all John's speed goodies are there now, either on display or in storage. PERHAPS one could buy extra Gerber rods from them? I don't know if the museum will sell donated parts, but it's worth asking.
Marshall
* Make that "TWO blocks", if it matters at all.

That is some pretty neat history, indeed ! Thanks for sharing your experience and story !
You don't happen to have a copy of that SOSS write-up on John that you got from the Mrs, do you...to share/copy ?
If not, do you know the SOSS edition that your write up would have appeared in ? Any pictures of John's shop taken ?

[Frank Miller]

Museums sell anything to make themselves run. Not everything but if they had a set of these rods on display then they would have no use for any more and storage cost money. I'm sure you cannot just call them and buy something but they probably have periodic auctions to raise funds. The V8 Foundation does have parts for sale and has a trailer set up at Hershey for that purpose.