273 and 318 doner parts for 340 Build

stixx said

I wouldn't be concerned too much about breakage... factory parts will hold up to quite some abuse when properly reconditioned and with decent bolts.
BUT, for the cost of having your 318 rods reconditioned you might be (almost) able to find a set of aftermarket rods... Scat comes to mind.

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This is exactly where we ended up going with the rods for a similar 340 build: SCAT rods for lightness. Along with KB hyper pistons, it took 433 grams off the bobweight used to balance the 273 crank for 340 use. That is a lot of weight per crank throw to get rid of. The cost vs recon'd rods was not much different at all.

I am not sure about the OP's ratonale about the shift points limiting the RPM; once in 3rd gear, shift points do not matter.