390 etc .Engine Stocker to Mods

Here is Jim McKee's contact imfo . Jim is one of the best sources of imfo and always
freely passes excellent imfo . That I trust with out a doubt ..
Enjoy !
Bob Rascoe

Hi Bob, I have no problem posting my phone number or e-mail address. 727) 343-1445 and jmmckee@earthlink.net I am taking a few new customers, but there is a big rush that will start shortly for bracket engines for next season and they take priority here. Street engines around this time can easily get pushed back by the race guys. Regards, Jim

Q:What is the P/N and casting number on the 68/69 rods ?
A: cast 3191739 P/N 3191740
Jim McKee writes:
Hi Bob, I am not sure if the number in your e-mail is a part number or a casting number. 68/69 connecting rods are part number 319 1740. These rods are 5.790" center to center length. 70 390 and 71 401 rods are part number 319 7049 and have a 5.858" center to center length. 72 and up rods are part number 321 5954 and have a 5.858" center to center length. 72 and up rods have a smaller balance pad on the small end to clear stock AMC pistons. All these rods are forged and I have phenomenal luck installing ARP bolts and resizing the big ends up to 7000 rpm. Shot-peening raises the rpm limit to 8000 rpm on these rods with the ARP bolts. I have a customer with these rods in his bracket engine turning 7700 rpm with over 500 runs now. Ken Parkman, Popular Hot Rodding Magazine Engine Masters contest entrant with a 634 horsepower AMC 360, has a bracket engine turning 7000 rpm and has over 1100 runs on the engine. Please rod bolt stretch all your rods and record the free length using a ball micrometer for each rod bolt, so you can check for permanent rod bolt length deformation at the next tear down. Do not sell AMC forged rods short.


I know you didn't ask about bearings, but is an important subject when talking about AMC rods. ACL or King mains are the only ones to use in a performance AMC engine and the only completely acceptable stock rod bearing is King. All King bearings are soft, relatively speaking, and are therefore usually easy on the crank journals. Federal-Mogul bearings are a better choice for stock rebuilds. Do NOT use Clevite OEM bearings except in low horsepower stock rebuilds for low rpm usage. Clevite OEM bearings just don't have the load carrying capacity of previous Clevite OEM lead complex bearings. About five years ago the metalurgical composition of Clevite OEM bearings was changed and the electro-deposited layers are now an aluminum complex and the bearing surface will hen-check, chunk out, and fail horribly in even mild performance applications. This problem can not be improved with higher oil pressure, bigger bearing clearances, or any crank journal modifications. Clevite OEM bearings has been sold to a Japanese company and Clevite HP bearings has been sold to Mahle. Clevite HP/Mahle bearings don't exist for AMC unless you convert to Chevy rods. All ACL rod bearings come in an ACL box, but are Clevite OEM bearings inside. I have have had success with Calico coated bearings. Jerry Ehlert, at Calico, tries to talk you out of coating Clevite OEM bearings and will tell you they don't do it. When pressed, he will admit the 275 degree coating bake cycle causes problems with the bearing surfaces. If your bearing won't take 275 degrees without degrading, I don't want it in my or any of my customer's engines


Regards, Jim


Just for information, 290-304-343-360 cast rods are all 5.875

King Bearing site: http://www.kingbearings.com/advantages.html

Eddie Stakes reply:
Hi Bob, these are 68-69 390V8 rods, AMC used casting #3191740 which appears in the big 67-72 AMC Dealer Book (of which I have a copy of that big ass book on DVD, you can see one in my ebay auctions:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZeddiestakesQQhtZ-1
is for 390V8 68-69 only. I haave enclosed a photo here of axctual parts book and well a connecting rod from the garage here with the old style AM script emblem and the 3191739 casting circled on it. Take care and good luck,
Eddie Stakes
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@planethoustonamx.com
www.planethoustonamx.com
email volume post Hurricane Ike
EXTREMELY HEAVY, reply time 20+
days
photo coutesy of eddie Stakes !


Dan Curtis reply:
Bob,

Those are indeed 68/69 390 rods. I have a NOS rod in my hand and that is the number it has on it.



Best Regards,

Dan Curtis

d.curtis@cox.net

602 317 2018