Stroke with only Pistons and Crank?

Stock rods have an inherent weakness [ that's the bad news! ]. Good news is you didn't have to pay extra for it!
Any rod that uses a bolt & nut [ like the factory rod ] is weakened by the undercut reqd for the bolt head. If you see one of these rods break, that is usually where they break.
Aftermarket rods like H beams that use a bolt only, are stronger. They are usually lighter & where metal has been removed [ or added ] have been designed with modern computer assistance that was not available decades ago when the original stock rods were designed.
Not to mention the better metallurgy. Every V engine I build, I grind three reliefs in the rod cheek where it contacts the crank face. This is an escape route for the oil if one rod gets 'crowded' up against the crank face. Grinding these reliefs is MUCH harder on aftermarket rods than factory rods. The steel is simply tougher.


When you consider the cost to re-con factory rods, with equipment less accurate than the CNC equipment used to make new rods, the cost of new fasteners, the weaker rod structure that you are starting with, the answer to me is a no brainer...