SanDiegoPaul

I've had no problems with the bottom end on my Stroker. At all. I just ran into an article about H beam rods, and read it .... I went with an Eagle stroker kit when I had the engine done, as recommended by the builder. I used a Forged Crank, Forged Pistons (10:1) and these rods. Never knew they weren't ALL AMERICAN :o until today! :o

Read down to the last line:


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Eagle Connecting Rods
Eagle Rods — The Difference You Can't See
Eagle Rods

All Eagle "ESP" Connecting Rods are manufactured from a TWO-PIECE FORGING. The forging process forces the grain into the shape of a connecting rod, resulting in a superior fatigue life. The rod cap is forged separately so that the grain runs perpendicular to the load forces, which strengthens the connecting rod. Many aftermarket connecting rods are manufactured from 4340 steel. 4340 specs allow a range of different materials to achieve the desired results. Although it is a more expensive process, all Eagle "ESP" 3-D connecting rods also include higher content of nickel & chrome, which increases the strength & fatigue life without making the connecting rod brittle.

Extensive testing has proven Eagle's two-piece forging superior to any one-piece forging on the market! All Eagle "ESP" Rods are clearly identified. Proper rod bolt torque is vital to connecting rod life. A rod bolt fastner is without question the highest stressed fastener in the engine. The big end bore of the connecting rod is a stressed bore in much the same way as cylinders are on a block. It is equally important to torque properly to provide proper strength & to insure the big end of the rod sizing is correct. Improper torque will result in premature rod failure!

Beware of connecting rods that do not include torque specifications.

Eagle "ESP" H Beam Connecting Rods Feature:

* First connecting rod manufacturer to machine on the state-of-the-art Sunnen Krossgrinding™ System to hold extremely tight tolerances! Center to center length +/- .001 Big End Barrel / Bellmouthing +/- .0002 Big End Bore +/- .0002 -- Pin end bore +/- .0002
* Stroker Design provides cam clearance for 3.800 on small block Chevy engines with no modification. Stroker design provides cam clearance for 4.250 on big block Chevy engines with no modification.
* Weight savings between 30-70 grams (depending on rod length).
* Reduce balancing cost! Larger stroke applications can see savings of $100.00 to $200.00 on balancing cost alone!
* Over 80 different rods available for popular Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, AMC, Nissan, Acura, Honda and Toyota engines!
* All Eagle "ESP" connecting rods are available individulally or in sets. Please specify weights on individual rod purchases.
* 3-D Design offers the advantages of reduced weight without sacrificing any of our original rod's strength, offering maximum strength to weight ratio.
* 2-Piece forging for increased strength.
* Ready to run, installation instruction and bolt lubricant included.
* ARP 7/16" 8740 Capscrew bolts standard (190,000 psi) unless otherwise noted. Optional ARP 2000 (230,000 psi) and ARP L-19 (265,000 psi) bolts for extreme horsepower applications. L-19 bolts are recommended for small block engines exceeding 700 horsepower and big block engines exceeding 850 horsepower.
* Silicon bronze bushings for floating piston pins.
* Multi-stage heat treated.
* Packaged in weight matched sets end to end +/- 1 gram.
* Certified 4340 steel, vacuum degassed to remove impurities.
* Each forging is X-rayed, sonic tested and magnafluxed to insure quality.
* All surfaces are 100% machined.
* Shot peened to stress relieve the metal.
* Precision alignment sleeves positively locate the rod cap, maintaining big end bore size and eliminating cap walk.
* Eagle "ESP" Connecting Rods provide the strength and durability required in unlimited engines at a sportman rod price.
* All Eagle "ESP" Small Block Chevrolet Rods now feature a .050 shorter bolt head for increased block clearance!
* Forged in China.
* Sized and finished in the United States.

Gordonm

It is getting tough to find anything not made in China anymore. We as consumers want everything as cheap as possible but we fail to see why it is cheap. It is made overseas. So we are buying cheap products but this sends our jobs overseas. Thats another discussion totally.

Matt Gruber

think about it.
here HS drop outs are encouraged to get a job in a machine shop.
In China, such a job could be reserved for an A student. not sure if that is true, but???

LilGreenVette

Not true for everything, but engine parts made in China can be some very quality pieces these days. Case in point, Scat.

-Chris

Edit: Whoops, this is LiveandLetDrive... visiting the girlfriend this weekend..

cardo0

Well u can lie to ur friends. U can lie to ur wife. But u can't lie to ur bottom end under 500ft-lbs of torque.

Only a testing lab knows for sure. U could always pay to have samples tested but that may not be cost effective using economy parts in the first place. But does American Made guarentee anything? Thats y forums like this are a great help in sharing info on parts and suppliers. Also i will use published info/recommendation from credible sources - yes like Vizard. And D. Vizard has nothing but good to say 'bout the SCAT pieces. Kind'a gave up on the mags for credible info - since i found this forum. Mags are influenced by advertizers and sensationalism for sales - but they can be helpful too. cardo0

MotorHead

Unfortunatly Chinese parts are here to stay, they used to say the same thing about "Made in Japan" in the 60's, anyone drive a Toyota or a Honda or a .......

Ex_F-Body_Enthusiast

Its common knowledge that Eagle and Scat parts are made in China. As a mechanical engineer in the electronics industry, I travel to China several times a year and have seen first hand how things are made there, and its pretty scary. Concepts such as *heat treatment* are still largely unknown or often eliminated from the mass production process as a "cost reduction". I know a lot of guys have had good (read: blind) luck running the Eagle and Scat parts; but I also know a few who have had catastrophic failures. I would recommend staying far away. . .

panchop

but when i was looking for a crank and rods for my 496 it seems EVERYONE is geting there stuff from china. about the best you can do is make sure it's inspected and finished here.

Ex_F-Body_Enthusiast

The Eagle H-Beam con rod is a Chinese copy of the original Carrillo design. So, why not buy the original?

http://www.carrilloind.com/app.html

Solid LT1

I hope evryone here know that Carrillo is now owned by the Germans! Even though they manufacture in the USA all profits go overseas! Oliver, Manley, Dyers and Competition Products make American made engine parts of good quality. Scat, Eagle and others do MACHINE their parts in the US (using fresh over the Rio Grande labor in So-Cal) but, thats only because the Chinese quality control was SOO POOR that they couldn't hold their tolerance requirements. Manley "H" beam rods are also from Chinese forgings and Carrillo has tested some of the rods on the market and described them as being "Scary in their inconsistencies and lack of proper heat treating proceedures". Most engines will never see the cyclic abuses of "real" racing engines but for my autocross engines I use Crower or Manley 100% USA rods and sleep well at night because of it. I have also bought used NASCAR Carrillos off of Ebay from Chambers Sports Memrobilia and been extremely happy with their products. My Z/28 Camaro had "used" Carrillos from a Trans-Am motor that won the championship for EFR and Huffaker Racing in 1983 and went strong for 20K miles after being put to use in my 302 (7,800 RPM red-line.)

ddecart

Thanks for the heads up. Never hurts to pay attention to where stuff is made and to learn how well it's made there. The sad thing is that we're going to help China fix all of their inconsistencies so we can continue to rely on them for more and more products. A cheaper crankshaft doesn't make me sleep any better at night.

SanDiegoPaul

I agree. As I said in the Original Posting, there's been no problems and I've got about 15K miles on it. While it may be 'common knowlege' that SCAT and Eagle are China parts, I had no clue when the engine was built.

Who can define 'H' beam vs. 'I' beam rods? Is an 'I' beam rod the OEM type?

mandm1200

Cheaper does not always imply inferior. I am under the impression that many Americans would buy American made products if the price was similiar and quality was similiar.
The American car manufactures opened the doors to the imports due to higher prices and inferior product. The same priciples can apply to automotive parts and every other consumable product.
I prefer made in the USA but my wallet has veto power.

ddecart

Summit Racing can
I-beam. Simpler (cheaper) to manufacture.


H-Beam. More difficult to manufacture (more expensive), but stronger due to the added material in the primary bending-load direction