318 pistons on rods...is there an easy way to know which way the pistons go? Obviously the rod has to face the correct direction incorrelation with the front of the piston...but both sides of the rod look the same to me. Any help??
With the notch or groove on the top of the piston pointing toward the front of the engine, the larger chamfer (bevel) on the connecting rod bore must be installed toward the crankshaft journal fillet (the crankshaft journal for that cylinder).
That means, for one bank of pistons, the rod chamfer will point towards the front of the engine, and the other bank, they'll point to the rear.
Yup - you orient the rods to the crank, and the pistons to the front of the engine (notch to front). To be honest - I still mock them up by hand and number each part, and mark the front of the rod and an arrow on the bottom of the piston when I assemble...lol. Better safe than doing it twice...
What happens if you get them in the wrong way. Yet another thing to be paranoid about, as if all the "my rebuilt small block wont start" threads aren't enough.
why did your concerning catostrophic failure seem so casually toned when I read it? LolThe biggest thing would be the fillet of the crank would chew away at the rod bearing. Not a good thing. If you put the pistons in backwards there may be clearance problems with the valves among other things.
Jack
why did your concerning catostrophic failure seem so casually toned when I read it? Lol
It's like, oh the biggest thing with WWIII we would ever face is nuclear warfare and an engine knock! No biggie!