Connecting rods

[jdascout]

Hello my Buick breather en, I am trying to cheat on the research of parts. I am looking for clarification. Odd fire production turbo connecting rod, was there such a thing? I was going to go 3.8 again in our father son Vega project. I built one back in 1980 w/ Kenne-Bell Cam kit/2 piece headers/Baffled oil pan/H.V. oil pick up/pump. Wieand intake, Carter Comp 400 cfm 4bbl, Mallory Ign. 4 spd & posi. Today I just bought a 1964 300 4bbl out of a Skylark. I have been thinking about Turbo 3.8 connecting rods as an upgrade. this engine came with 11.00:1's. I have seen forged TRW pistons w/stock 3.8 bore and 9.55:1. Newer even fire 6 has split journals vs the odd. thickness of the rods will be an issue. Any thought's? I found a list of engine weights and it shows the 3.8 at 380 lbs, the 1964 300 w/factory aluminum heads/intake weighs in at 408 lbs. it's a no brainer.

 

[fuzzyGN]

What are you wanting to do? So if I read correctly you bought the 300 and plan to use it. Does this engine have the 11:1 CR? Are you going to rebuild the 300 with TRW pistons at 9.5CR? A little confused. The V6 will be a direct bolt in to the Vega using factory parts. Even a medium built 4.1L with a little compression will yield about 250 HP and there will be a huge selection of aftermarket parts to support it. Not really sure of what is available for the 300 just becasue I am uninformed but it may prove to be more difficult.

So you really need to ask yourself a few questions. First and most important what are your goals? How fast, purpose (DD, fast street car, track car) etc. Budget and fabrication skills and willingness also need to be considered.

What year Vega are you working with? The early years are a little tighter around the firewall and may need some massaging but the 75 and later cars are a snap. Cool project either way you decide. Interesting creatures.

 

[jdascout]

What are you wanting to do? So if I read correctly you bought the 300 and plan to use it. Does this engine have the 11:1 CR? Are you going to rebuild the 300 with TRW pistons at 9.5CR? A little confused. The V6 will be a direct bolt in to the Vega using factory parts. Even a medium built 4.1L with a little compression will yield about 250 HP and there will be a huge selection of aftermarket parts to support it. Not really sure of what is available for the 300 just becasue I am uninformed but it may prove to be more difficult.

So you really need to ask yourself a few questions. First and most important what are your goals? How fast, purpose (DD, fast street car, track car) etc. Budget and fabrication skills and willingness also need to be considered.

What year Vega are you working with? The early years are a little tighter around the firewall and may need some massaging but the 75 and later cars are a snap. Cool project either way you decide. Interesting creatures.

We have a plane jane 1974 Vega. Our goal is an autocross/cruise/drag car. So the 300's iron block w/Aluminum heads/intake keeps the center of gravity nice and low. Being a V8 gives a smoother operation. It is a factory 11.00:1 engine out of a 1964 Skylark, they had already sold the 300 4v out of the SportWagon they had pasted to the floor(bagged). I am looking for a slightly stronger rod and easier on the gas w/9.55:1's. as for Cams I am looking at the Isky 262-SUPERCAM. It has a 2000-5500 power band. things like paint can wait, 4 wheel disc is priority. I have the 1979 Monza wagon 7.5 rear end and torque arm, sway bars, GT upper/lower CA's w/poly bushing and S10 spindle ball joint bushings.

 

[fuzzyGN]

Check the rear in the car. Some where already equipped with the 7.5 instead of the 6.5 even in non-GT form. Also, if I am not mistaken the 74 still had the 4 link style rear suspension instead of the torque arm. I suppose you could figure out how to mount the panhard bar even if it is a 4 link. If wieght is a concern on the front end, look into Aerospace front brakes. They use the stock spindles which keeps bump steer in check. A little more money but 40 pounds lighter than stock and even more savings over stock S10 stuff. The rotors are already 5 lug. I am sure you already know but stock S10 rear axles are the same length and bolt right into the Vega rear. Just make sure the spline count is correct.

Back to the original question. Sorry, don't know much of anything about the 300. Do you have any info on the stock rod dimensions? Since the turbo stuff really just started in 77 and the odd-fire stuff was done just before I don't think there are turbo odd-fire rods. It probably doesn't matter really as long as what you use to replace them have the same dimensions as what is in there. Not too sure how much there would be to gain by changing rods as the car will be light and I doubt you will spin the engine past 5 grand so to me it is unnecessary from a durability standpoint.