71roadster

Can some one give me the run down on these terms as regards connecting rods? The pros and cons?

I'm planning a 383 and all of these variations are in a $300 to $400 price range.

Thanks
Chris

lyonsh

Small journal rods were used in the "smaller" small blocks - e.g., 283s, 327s, and some 302s. Large journal rods were used in 350s, and would be used in your 383. This refers to the big end of the rod that connects to the crankshaft.

Pressed or bushed refers to the small end of the rod. If you are pressing the piston pins in, you don't want bushed rods - pressing the pins will ruin the bronze bushings. If you are using pins that are held in the end by clips, the pins will rotate in the small end, and bronze bushings wear better than steel ends. This is because the bronze is softer (so wears less on the pin), and I've heard the bronze tends to hold oil better. You'll hear all kinds of arguments as to whether one method is better than the other. In my opinion, there's only one significant difference: if you use pins held in by the clips, you don't have to have a press to put them in. This can be very useful at the racetrack, where 12 ton presses are often hard to come by.

The numbers refer to different alloys. I don't know that much about the metallurgy, and there's all kinds of "lore" as to which is better for a host of reasons, so I can't tell you much about the advantages and disadvantages of each.

74vetteman

5140 good
4130 better
4340 best

gkull

Small block chevy 400 ci have a larger crank shaft journal diameter. So you want the standard 350 ci journal size. It cost the same to build a 396 ci always go for internally balanced.