Conrod makers

[Lozza]

evo has nailed the catch with using a longer rod, you need a corresponding decrease in compression height of the piston IF you want to package the engine as it was before. Space on even an old mx bike with an up pipe is at a premium

[pmc57]

Brad
How many rod types and what quantity of each type are you looking at getting manufactured. Also as a guide, what sort of dollars would you think is a fair price per rod.
I'll have a talk with a few of my machine shop contacts to see if its viable. We could look at a few of the common CR and RM styles perhaps.

[090]

Just the one type for now which is the 480. Ten or maybe a few more to try and make it worth the while for the manufacturer. I have no idea about price.

[crabman]

Albeit that I am a long way away.i would take two and maybe more.
Thanks
Gavin  ala Crabman

[evo550]

If I remember correctly it's not the manufacture of the rod that's the problem most machine shops can do that, it's the creation of the bearing surface in the rod that's the issue.
If you can find someone to do that then it would just be a case of getting the old rod "resurfaced" instead of getting a whole new rod made.
The big and little end pins can be bought in any length as rod and cut to size or a volkswagon big end pin suits the 480, but needs to be shortened about 1mm.
The problem is getting the surface on the rod done, if that can be solved your home and hosed.
Good luck guys.

[Husky500evo]

http://www.euro-rods.com/
These guys make conrods (although I suspect that they get Carrillo to manufacture them) for Euro bikes , but I think I remember reading that they do custom orders . I have been waiting for the Aussie dollar to improve before buying some Husky 390 rod kits off them (& the time is almost right).

[Lozza]

I don't think anyone really knows how exactly a 2T rod is made.
This is from a fellow who runs Falicon cranks in the US and was kind enough to explain the process to me.

A forging die is machined in 2 halves split longditudly along the rod.
A steel blank is forged from the dies in a industrial 200T press in one go.
Any flashing removed.
Now the interesting bit,( bores are not to hard evo)
The rod it's self is only about 32-35HRc in hardness which is quite ductile.
The rod bores are machined to size, oiling slots, reliefs and holes added
A copper coating is sprayed onto the rod everywhere EXCEPT the bores(the copper colouring on a rod)
The rod is heat treated and brought up to min 60HRc the same or better than the rolling elements of the bearing.
The bores are honed/ground to final size.

The parts of the rod that are copper coated remain UNAFFECTED by the heat treatment
So the centre of the rod is ductile and the bores as hard as the rolling elements in the bearing , perfect.

I think you will have trouble getting someone to make 10 rods properly Brad.No use going to all this trouble if they are not up to scratch.

[LWC82PE]

What about billet CNC rods from steel or alloy? If you got a mate you does CAD that’s the hard part out the way. Triumph twins have big chunky alloy rods, and i know guys put them in hotted up 850 Nortons too. They are split end cap type with shell bearings i know, but an enclosed circular big end with a pressed in hardened outer bearing ring could fitted and done that way. Same thing for the small end. Is there a grade of billet steel or alloy that could be machine and up to the task?

[DR500]

have used these people before to rebuild rods and cranks on V8 motors. Not sure if they do small bike rod rebuilding?

Crankshaft EngineeringUnit 2, 20 Tradelink Road, BROWNS PLAINS, QLD 4118

p: (07) 3806 7488

[Lozza]

Forged aluminum rods are approx half the tensile strength of steel(less for machined), hence they are twice the size.Which runs into packaging issues,then you have to get the insert to stay in there with 2 vastly different expansion rates.Plain bearings don't work in 2T engines, they need lots of oil.