Viper rods

[smallblockGT]

Was wondering if anyone has tried viper rods in a 318. I've heard of them used on some stroker builds but I was wondering...they are basically the same as LA rods, but the wrist pin bores have to be honed out about.039. But they are .098 longer. Since 318s run similar distances below factory deck. Is it practical to use a set of these rods and a stock type piston to bump compression without milling the block/heads or am I missing something here? Thanks guys.

 

[mderoy340]

sounds like a good idea. What does a viper rod cost?

 

[smallblockGT]

You can get rebuilds for about $40 a piece. And they come factory with arp fasteners! Anybody with more wisdom than myself feel free to chime in. As of now I'm seriously considering this.

 

[Dragonbat13]

This sounds like a setup thread for another rod/stroke ratio fight.

I'm on the higher rod stroke ratio side, and viper rods in a teen sounds cool when you talk about it anyway.

Where are you seeing the rods for 40 bucks a pop?

 

[Valvebounce]

I asked something similar once, and was poo-poo'd.
By the time you buy 8 rods, it's probably cheaper to just buy some KB167's, and you'd need a rebalance either way.
(Although I'm a cheap arse who would rather find a set of used ones, and try wing it for as little coin as poss)

 

[moparlover]

sounds doable... but really you would still want some better pistons, or go forced induction with stockers.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Rod ratio doesn't amount to a hill of beans. If that's why you want to do this, shelf the idea. People get all caught up in BS like this and run themselves ragged thinkin they are gonna unlock some kinda secret power maker. It ain't happenin.

If you want to get technical about it, street motors like a low rod to stroke ratio to keep piston speed at TDC up.......but again, you'll never know the difference. It's a crazy place to spend......er.....waste money that could be better spent elsewhere makin real power.

 

[smallblockGT]

I was just putting it out there. Wasn't really rod ratio I had in mind . Although I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing. I have just been scouring different sources of info to find different ways of upping output on a shoestring with as little machine work as I can get by with. I thought since they can be sourced for reasonable, and already have upgraded hardware it was an option. Just wondering if all things considered it was as practical of an option as taller pistons.

 

[moparlover]

dont be afraid of machine work. dont be afraid to go yack with your local machine shop guys. you can learn a ton in 5 minutes. it will keep you out of trouble too.

sometimes trying to save 5 bucks can cost you 500.

 

[RustyRatRod]

If it's the compression then what I would do is have the block deck measured. 99 out of 100 of them are way tall from the spec. Blueprinting the block deck to factory spec will bring that compression up some. Once the deck is where it's supposed to be and square with the crank (they are usually unlevel too) then you can run a thin head gasket and even knock a little off the heads if you want. You can safely go to around .025" or so before you have to worry about milling the intake. Having the block decked, running a thin head gasket and milling the heads a little will all add up to more of a compression bump than you might think. And lets face reality here. If it's going to be a street engine, you should keep compression around 9:1 anyway. And that is very doable using the recipe I just outlined.

 

[Dragonbat13]

Rod ratio doesn't amount to a hill of beans. If that's why you want to do this, shelf the idea. People get all caught up in BS like this and run themselves ragged thinkin they are gonna unlock some kinda secret power maker. It ain't happenin.

If you want to get technical about it, street motors like a low rod to stroke ratio to keep piston speed at TDC up.......but again, you'll never know the difference. It's a crazy place to spend......er.....waste money that could be better spent elsewhere makin real power.

I was the one that brought up the rod stroke ratio. And I dont think it amounts to a hill of beans either, honestly. Sorry OP.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I was the one that brought up the rod stroke ratio. And I dont think it amounts to a hill of beans either, honestly. Sorry OP.

No need for all that. If somebody is building an all out race engine, sure, the rod ratio may make a difference......but still slight. But for what 99% of us here, it's pretty insignificant. Look at the 350 Chevy. Regardless of what people think of them, they are fine engines. They have rod ratios around 1.5 and they have no trouble at all. Go to any drag strip or car show and they are everywhere. I just think people make too big a deal out of it for a street car, that's all. It was nothing personal.

 

[Rapid Robert]

I have a new set that I bought for the CH increase as I want to get quench with my new pistons in an upcoming max mileage 318 build. I dont think you can get em new from Ma anymore

 

[273]

No need for all that. If somebody is building an all out race engine, sure, the rod ratio may make a difference......but still slight. But for what 99% of us here, it's pretty insignificant. Look at the 350 Chevy. Regardless of what people think of them, they are fine engines. They have rod ratios around 1.5 and they have no trouble at all. Go to any drag strip or car show and they are everywhere. I just think people make too big a deal out of it for a street car, that's all. It was nothing personal.

I seen a dyno comparison of a 383 chevy with 3 different rods and everything else was the same, 5.56",5.7" and a 6" rods each one gain about 3 hp over the next mainly cause of friction, I sure you might be able to squeeze a few more ponies if cam and heads were optimized for each. But all in all you probably not gonna find more than 10 hp at street or street/strip rpms.

350 actually has a decent ratio of 1.64, 400 chev and most strokers have the shitty ratio of 1.5? Or less
But like you said at the end of the day ain't gonna make or break any ones street and or street/strip combo.