Desperately Seeking ...

A set of connecting rods for my '75 308 GT4 rebuild. I was quoted $365 apiece for new ones and I'm still in disbelief. Does anyone have or know of a set of undamaged, matching rods for sale - new or used - at a more reasonable price? Any help is much appreciated, as always. Regards, Benjamin

 

Call James or Mike at Norwood Performance. They have some on their website.

http://norwoodperformance.com/engine.htm

 

I have a set of matched and balanced set of 308 Con Rods. Email me at [email protected] for more info.

 

send you an email on this also...

What weight code are the rods in your engine, ECT? or SQ?

I found them for you for $250 and $180

 

I thought it was rather expensive, but Carillo recently quoted me $302 each for thier rods for a 308. You cant really beat that against the price your quoting for stock rods. The Carillos would be virtually unbreakable from what I understand, not to mention being significantly lighter. The rod and piston is the best place to remove mass, followed by the flywheel, then the clutch, and lastly the crankshaft. But probably the rod most of all because of its reciprocating motion, and the fact that you really dont want to remove much wieght from the crank. 20 or 30 grams off each rod can make quite a difference to engine response and acceleration, but IIRC the Carillos are near 50 grams less. They wont make anymore outright brake horsepower, but on an inertial dynomometer, because its measuring the cars acceleration, it would show up as a power increase. Also, less mass means less stress on the engines internals. Coupled with good aftermarket pistons with an addition wieght reduction to reciprocating mass, all things equal you would feel the difference IMHO. One aside to all of this is that the aftermarket rods are more aerodynamic, or perhaps hydrodynamic is a better term. Regardless, they cut through the oil spray sloshing inside the engine with much less drag, and have smoother surfaces to shed oil off, and oil is wieght. Its a win win win situation. Especially if they are $60 cheaper to boot!

 

Thanks for the replies and advice! I am always amazed at the responsiveness and generosity of this community. I had overlooked Carrillo, but their reputation is outstanding.

At the risk of sounding dim, I cannot find weight codes on any of the rods. Does this mean they've been replaced previously with aftermarket rods? Or am I missing something in plain sight? Also, what is "ECT" vs. "SQ"?

Regards all.

 

Not positive, but I think the weight codes are stamped into the rods.

Check again

 

Carrillo's are the top of the line in the aftermarket. But don't overlook Crower. The will build you any size. $365 for OEM is ludicrous.

 

They're not $365, see above where I found them for quite a bit less.

 

Just a curious question why are you replacing the rods?

Why not just recondition the old ones?
New hardware true the big end balance ect. ...

Havnt seen a 308 yet I was impressed with yet as far as performance goes so I wont be going crazy with mine, stock is good enough for me.

 

"Just a curious question why are you replacing the rods?

Why not just recondition the old ones?
New hardware true the big end balance ect. ..."

I am living proof that any deal seeming to good to be true, probably is. I bought the Dino based on photos alone for what seemed like a good price. The car was immaculate, low documented miles (25,400), absolutely no rust, and totally unmolested. However, service records were scant with no proof of recent belt service. I had not put 500 miles on the clock before a rod came loose and worked up an awful lot of heat on the crankshaft. One rod and two valves bent and a piston cracked. So, now we're doing a complete rebuild - crankshaft, pistons, valves, big-bearing water pump, etc.

I have attached some pics. The serial number on my car is 09688. I think this is an early car, but I'm not well-informed on these cars. If anyone knows anything about the history of my car, I would greatly appreciate your sharing with me. I know who owned the car from new and have some service records, just not the ones you'd like to see. I know better now, of course. Still, I did buy a '64 330 GT 2+2 that had been sitting for 20 years, but that's another story.
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Except for the chrome wheels she is really pretty. Nothing wrong with them, I just like original cars.

Yep, she is an early example. You car is the 43rd GT4 to enter the US. Did I send you the history I have on your car?

By the way, I have a set of correct factory wheels and hubcaps if you're interested.

 

Somebody spent time on those cam covers.......

 

i remember seeing that car for sale, i think, it seemed like a very clean car. really sorry to read about your misfortune.

are you going to do any massaging on the heads, and replace the sodium valves?
i would love to know prices on a 308 valve job with new valves. as the carb cars push 30, i wounder how long the old valves will last. i also wounder if its better to pull the heads and do a valve job at a specific point , then wait for something to fail.

 

The heads are being polished and ported, but I'm not sure about the valves. I'm more of a checkbook mechanic and am leaving the heavy lifting on the engine rebuild to more competent hands.\

 

i would ask about the valves. the car should last a long time when its done, as it sounds like you are doing it right.

good luck to you.