Cab Burge, can you elaborate on the advantages and disadvantages? One of the reasons I was trying to stick to the 4.15 was to minimize or hopefully eliminate clearancing a matching number block and to reduce side wear that the larger strokes see . I was under the impression that any longer stroke would get me in trouble. Maybe it's not worth worrying about? Also, outside of connecting rod cost and availability, what's the advantage of the 2.200 Chevy rods? As for the crank being welded, highly unlikely, this isn't the only place this happens, there's another journal near it that has something similar. In the picture I posted, there's another small pit in the upper right hand corner. I just can't see someone welding this thing from twenty pieces.