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Old 11-19-2019, 09:41 AM   #1
all american boy
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Default Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

Old timer told me the rods are cast iron!


Says you take the rod and hang it on a coat hanger.


Hit it with something metal.


If it goes 'Ting' it is forged steel.


If it goes 'Dong' it is cast iron.


Also said cast iron has thin casting parting line.


Forged steel has a band where they are ground down after forging.


It is usually 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide.


All this time I just figured OHV V8 rods were forged like everybody else's.


Oh well!
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Old 11-21-2019, 04:22 PM   #2
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

Most of the Ford con rods were forged for maximum strength. Model A and flathead V8 engines were all forged. V8 con rods were high carbon manganese steel forgings and heat treated. If the initial blank is shaped correctly, it can look like it has a parting line. Castings only have sprues to cut off. The rest is up the the core design of the mold. Molds were baked a bit before casting to reduce flash. They drop castings out of the flask and put them in a shaker to get all the core sand off and out in the case of heads & blocks. Cranks were cast too but many were cast steel. Nodular cast iron development during word war II allowed for better castings when the auto manufacturing caught up to it but I don't think Ford used casting technology for con rods till much later. A lot of them are sintered or powdered metal productions in the modern era.

Last edited by rotorwrench; 11-21-2019 at 06:52 PM.
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Old 11-22-2019, 09:50 PM   #3
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

Thanks Rotorwrench


I am just repeating what he said.


Twice I have brought up 292 engine and he has said



'They break rods.'


The guy does the vintage racing.


Been doing some pretty serious racing for a long time.


Plus he was around when Ford OHV V8's were the thing.



I myself never gave it much thought.


Have not crossed that bridge yet.


Getting it to rev high.


Next time I talk to him I will tell him somebody said 'Yes they are forged'.


See what he says. We'll see.
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Old 11-23-2019, 07:17 PM   #4
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

My Pop had an F600 bob tail truck that he bought new in 1961. He kept that truck up into the 2000s until it finally threw a rod. He found another 292 engine for it and had it overhauled to put back in there. He traded it off for a dual tandem truck after that. We were never easy on it. Pop was as easy on it as he could be but he used to drive it up to Denver from southwestern KS to pick up barrels of dry cleaning fluid for his 2nd wife's shop so he put some miles on it before it finally broke. Because of this, I can't argue about them throwing rods. I do believe they were forged though. Ford liked to make them with minimal materials. The flathead rods are dainty little things but they are tough as nails. You have to drive them with no oil to get them to let go.
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Old 11-23-2019, 10:19 PM   #5
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

Thanks Rotorwrench


Good story.Good insight too about OHV V8 rods and V8 rods.


Talked to 'The Man' about rod situation.


His 2 bits was use '62 292 rods and get the motor balanced.


Revco in Long Beach is a good balance shop.Heirs to the legendary



Electronic Balancing same city.


Than Eaton Balancing in Texas.Guy is sharp.


Don't know about Detroit midwest area, Northeast or Southeast (Dixie).


Idea is to save shipping cost.


I floated the idea about two 4 barrels on a 292 and he said 292 thrives on



one 4 barrel.


I think two 4's is tor 390 and up motors.More or less.


Whatever rod's our new 292 has in it that's what we will be running.


Maybe a little lightening for them and a trip to Revco.
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Old 11-30-2019, 01:05 PM   #6
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

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Quote:
Originally Posted by all american boy View Post
I floated the idea about two 4 barrels on a 292 and he said 292 thrives on
one 4 barrel.

I think two 4's is tor 390 and up motors.More or less.
Please look up "E Code" for 1957, research a little and let us know what you find concerning 2x4 setups sold across the counter in 1956, and then let us know what you find find about a man named Karol Miller. This should help you discover whether or not the 2x4's were viable for Y blocks. Granted, the 312 is the obvious choice for a Y block to run 2x4's but there are a plethora of people running 2x4's on the 292 Ford.
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Old 11-30-2019, 12:04 PM   #7
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

Basically four different connecting rods used during the years of Y production with all being forged. Forging ID's would include EBU, ECZ, C1TE and C2AE. No cast rods there. If the connecting rods are breaking, I'll suggest looking for a reason other than the connecting rod material. Ted Eaton.
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Old 11-30-2019, 06:34 PM   #8
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

Quote:
Originally Posted by all american boy View Post
Old timer told me the rods are cast iron!


Says you take the rod and hang it on a coat hanger.


Hit it with something metal.


If it goes 'Ting' it is forged steel.


If it goes 'Dong' it is cast iron.


Also said cast iron has thin casting parting line.


Forged steel has a band where they are ground down after forging.


It is usually 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide.


All this time I just figured OHV V8 rods were forged like everybody else's.


Oh well!




Take a close look at reply #6. No such thing as a cast iron rod in any Y Block! Your old timer was blowing smoke!
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Old 12-04-2019, 11:21 PM   #9
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

'If the connecting rods are breaking'


This guy meant that was 'the word' on Ford OHV V8's.


Just like when I broke the crank on a Dodge 318 late Poly head motor going



over the Coronado bridge in the 90's.


When I called San Diego Crankshaft first words out of that guy's mouth were


'They have glass cranks.'


My associate is talking about the rep OHV V8's have not any specific thing.


Probably when you push them to extreme limits the rods let go.


Engines hold up good for 99% of use.
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Old 12-04-2019, 11:34 PM   #10
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Default Re: Ford OHV V8 (Y Block) Cast Iron Rods

Thanks Hot Rod


'2x4 setups sold across the counter'


Okay.Same guy told me YOU CAN get a 2 4's setup to run.You just have to



keep working on it until it runs decent.



He was more decisive about one 4 barrel though.


'find about a man named Karol Miller'


Have magazine article telling what all he did to his OHV V8 to win a record


at Bonneville.


Land speed record run would point to two 4's.


They can work against you though.It depends on what you are doing with


the car.Depends on 'how much engine' you have to use that extra venturi



area.That is what it is called in old articles before cfm testing (flow bench)



was wide spread.
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