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Just out of curiosity, did the factory mark or number the connecting rods in any way? Or, if the rods are marked does that mean the engine has been apart? Thanks
It's been my experience that if connecting rods are stamped (ie numbered 1 through 8) the engine has indeed been disassembled at one time. GM never numbered the connecting rods.
Here's an interesting read from a true expert in many aspects of Chevrolet and GM. I'm sure Tonawanda big blocks were done similarly to the Flint small blocks.
(Unfortunately John Hinckley (forum name JohnZ) passed away about 5 years ago.)
Hey Owen, that is a really interesting article. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, the engine has the pink rods, forged crank, four bolt center bearing caps and OE TRW pistons, correct number on the block and theoretically only 11K. I bought it from the owner who had it since 1979 with what looked like fairly complete records and mileage corroboration. And the body and interior look original and low mileage. The rods however, are stamped and I'm trying to figure out what happened.
When I pulled my 78 L-82 OEM engine in 2014 for the rebuild, I have these photos of my L-82 rods.
I suspected the engine had been apart sometime before I bought the car with 35,000 miles on it in 1983, either for a warranty issue or a component failure, which was confirmed by the machine shop. Someone definitely had been in the engine before 1983 but the consensus was that marked rods indicate a disassembly of the rotating components.
1978 L82 rods
