Connecting rod availability

I have seen others post on here about the ridiculously long wait time on connecting rods, and I find myself in the same situation. I have had a set of Molnar 440 rods on order and the expected ship date just keeps getting pushed back, month after month. So I decide I need to just spend the money and order a nice set of rods only to realize there are not really any options. Here is what I discovered:

Callies Compstar: Forged overseas just like everyone else, but on "Callies owned" equipment, cost an extra $1K, and also not in stock/readily available
Carillo: Only rods they list have a .927 pin and smaller journal sizes
Oliver: Only rods they list are 7.100" long

My question is, does a high quality USA made 6.760", 2.375" journal, .990" pin connecting rod currently exist, and if so who makes them and where can I buy them? Or is this just a case that even if you are willing to pay up for a good set of rods, they just aren't out there? I just hate to miss a second full summer of having my car on the road waiting on rods if at all possible. Thank you for any input.

I hate to hear this cause I'm debating on an upgrade and scared that parts are not available at this time.

10 months for a set of custom GRP Aluminium. I think I got lucky by all accounts.

Sounds bad, but I'd thought about offering up the K1 rods I have on hand for my next build... but decided I need to hang on to them after hearing about what a nightmare it is now to find rods. With my luck I'd blow up the current engine and not be able to get another set to put my next one together.

Yes Tig you did get lucky as that is certainly a long time but not so much compared to what I and others are experiencing. Brad, it's funny you mention the K1 rods. I ordered the Molnar rods, and also a set of K1's from a different vendor figuring I'd use whatever set came in first and save the others for a future build. I realize all of the rods are originating from the same place overseas, but figured my place in line may be higher for one or the other of the orders and there may be a chance of getting one sooner than the other. Oh well, the wait continues. Brad, if by some chance you decide to sell your K1's I would be willing to pay over retail pricing for them. However I do understand your hesitance. As of right now I'm looking at is March 15 and even if they do show up on time, the engine builder usually runs 3-6 months out so when you factor that in it could very well be another lost summer.

I don't know about lead times but I think Carrillo will make you anything you want, at least they did for me a while back.

Yes, Carrillo will make whatever you want. They have around a 15 week lead time. I have dozens of sets on order with them right now. It's the upgraded 7/16" CARR bolts that are taking forever to get from their supplier (ARP).

They dont have a 15 week lead time for the common folks. At least not this one. And yes it is a pretty common problem these days even worse for aluminum.

Considering most of the typically used rods are forged offshore, I think it comes down to who does the final machining... unless you're looking at $1500+ rod sets.

FWIW, I had a question for 440 Source today; I also happened to ask if their 6.76" x .990" ARP 2000 rods are in stock and they're available. I don't know about your (OP's) build and have no idea whether they're a suitable option or not.

The Eagle rods are available as well. I was really hoping to go with K1 rods as they are the lightest (820 grams) but the Molnar at 849 grams would do as well. I have used both in the past and never had an issue and I hear nothing but positive things about them on here. I just spent a bunch of money having custom pistons made, and had them fully milled to save as much weight as possible. I know the Eagle rod weighs 880 grams and I would hate to go with the heaviest H beam rod out there after doing whatever I could to save weight on the pistons. I saw some threads on here about the 440 Source rods weighing 735-745 grams. If this is true it is by far the lightest H beam rod out there, or at least that I have come across.

Funny you mention weights...
- I threw one of the K1s on my scale: 849
- I asked 440 Source how much theirs is in the same size: "about 860"
- Can't measure the Eagles in my engine, but IIRC from the balance card they're 870+

I don't know if K1 has a different forging now to claim that much lighter

How about H beam weight compared to I beam weight for the same application?

The weights of the K1 (820) and Molnar (849) rods I got from the manufacturers. Ohio Crankshaft was the only I-beam 440 rod I was able to locate and when I called them was told they are out of stock, as well as their H beams. I am not sure what the weight of that Ohio Crank I-beam rod was though. Below is the thread here on Moparts referencing the 440 Source rod as 735-745 grams and it is a relatively recent thread. I apologize if it doesn't show up as a link but I am not too computer savvy. I may try giving them a call to see what they say their rods weigh.

https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2925780/6-760-h-beam-rod-weight.html

3 months for my GRP.

I used to run eagle h beam 6.760 with 2.375 journal and .990 pin. That was in my 528 wedge. In the 1/4 mile days, I used to spin the engine minimum 7600 all day every day, and in good air it was 7800-8000. Fastest of 8.68 at 153mph. I sold them a few years back when I went to a molnar rod with 2.20 journal. There was nothing wrong with them when I sold them.

My engine is in overhaul this winter and I was going to purchase another set of molnar rods, 6.760 with 2.2 journal and .990 pin. I called at the end of October and they were estimating end of January for their production, but as we all know, that can get pushed back easier than gas prices increasing.

If you could get eagle rods, I wouldn't be afraid of them. My other suggestion would be ohio crankshaft, but as you stated they weren't available either. And yes, carillo will make you whatever you want.

Why not support your local machine shop and resize a set of factory forged I-beams with new rod bolts? They aren't made of eggshells.

What did racers use before chinese h-beams became so common?

It seems no one is interested in the I beams.

I posted a brand new set of (12) Hemi forging rods that Direct Connection offered in the 70’s.
Polished, shot peenwd, 1.09 pin, hard bolts.

Not one reply. Of course that was before the shortages due to the China Bug.

Still have them if anyone is interested. Going to post again, once I get a few pics.

FWIW, I have a set of Molnar 7.100", 2.200" journal, Chevy pin (0.990') and width. Their web site says 832g, my set was 827g. And I looked at the weight on several boxes of the same part number and they were between 822-827g. So, the published "typical" weight of your part number might be different too. Each box was a matched set of the same weight.

[quote=73DAD]Why not support your local machine shop and resize a set of factory forged I-beams with new rod bolts? They aren't made of eggshells.

What did racers use before chinese h-beams became so common? [/quoteI 've seen more than one stock magnaflux and recondition stock LY rod pull in half right above the big end
For a RB motor that will make north of 600Hp and spin above 6000 RPM I would not consider using a stock LY rod under any condition

I’m sorry but this is hilarious. New rod bolts, resize rods, put bushings in the end. And you still have JUNK rods. Ya I did go 9.82 with them back in 1991 but they are still and always were junk.

Did you break them? I'm not looking for a fight, genuinely curious. It sounds like Cab broke a few. Seems to me you guys would rather be racing than sitting out a year waiting for parts.

The real problem with the LY rods, or any rod for that matter is you have no way of knowing how many “cycles” they have been subjected to.
Parts don’t have an infinite life.

Those LY rods were ok back in the day, when they were new. And they lived with the much higher piston weights used back then.
Would I use a new set today, nope, not when you can get a much better rod that will last much more cycles.
And not since it appears guys are spinning the motors a 1K more rpm than the old days.

Oh I am definitely giving my machine shop plenty of business for this build. I have some other engines running the LY rods without an issue, but they are just slightly warmed over where as this current build will be in the 550-600 hp and operating in the higher RPM range so I was looking for a stronger rod. Unfortunately with all of the less expensive ( <$1000/set) rods originating in China things are moving very slowly due to Covid lockdowns in China. Tom Molnar told the guy building my engine that he is just not getting the rod blanks from overseas so they are at a standstill until they do. I'm going to look into some of the higher end options, and I also posted a want ad here on Moparts offering to pay a premium if someone has a set of the Molnar or K1's they would be willing to sell. I realize this is the way the world works now, but the prospect of potentially losing two full seasons of driving is just really disappointing. I know many others are in the same boat.

[i][/i]
I sent you a message with a link to a set of rods

Thank you I appreciate that I will check it out now.