Conrod makers

[090]

Who does such a thing?
Also, who would then make a pin and supply a bearing and washers to suit .
I'm thinking of getting a batch made but i don't want a heap of rods made that i then cant buy pins, washers and bearings to suit.
To suit the cr480's.
Cheers, Brad.

[oldfart]

Brad, Give me the dimensions and I'll see what comes close

[crabman]

Hi Gents
I am also looking for a 1983 cr 480 Honda rod kit, I would be prepared to buy three rod kits at the right price/ fair price.
Thanks
Gavin Williams ala Crabman
South Africa

Help Help

[Lozza]

Your biting off a bit here, I would first measure the rod and look for an alternative rod(maybe from a jet ski or snow mobile) because that is the easiest solution. BTW a rod goes up and down at one end and round and round at the other so YES it will work.
If you want to go the remanufactured route then be prepared to buy 100 min and perferably 500 because your unit cost on less than 100 will be very high. There are companies in Taiwan that will manufacture anything to a very high standard for a very cheap price but they require a volume order. There is also a company in Spain that will remanufacture rods on low volumes.You will also need to supply a drawing or pay for the drawing to be made.
Bearings et won't be a problem because if you get a custom rod made you will make it to fit commonly available bearings etc
Have you got a bare rod to measure?

[LWC82PE]

There is a company in NZ that makes forged rods, well i think they were forged, maybe billet I cant remember exactly. They advertise in that NZ Motorcycle/tractor marketplace/trader magazine at the newsagent.

First i would try here. They claim to have the worlds larges supply of rods. They can send you a con rod dimension sheet which you can sent to them by fax with dimensions of your rod. They will then try and match it up to another rod as they have a huge list of rod dimensions
www.bbimporters.com.au

[Nathan S]

Argo Marine on the NSW central/north coast makes one-off and small production run billet (rather than forged) rods. Seem to have a good reputation among the historic car guys.

Prices for car rods were expensive, but not outragous by bike standards (cheaper than when the "NLA NOS hysteria" takes hold...) - and I assumed that car rods are dearer due to the split big end requiring a lot more machining to make.

[Lozza]

Had a long conversation with head bloke at Argo and what he said about making a 2T rod didn't fill me with any confidence whatsoever

[vmxrider]

Finding replacement rods is a problem that many of us face in keeping our old bikes running. Obviously the best way is to have NOS but as time goes on this seems almost an impossibility. Like others have mentioned alternative rods from other sources i.e. different brands, go carts, jet skis, outboards etc are a possibility but its still very hit and miss and its a lucky dip really.

I guess if access to a well equipped workshop is available things such as different pin diameters or the ability to modify rod widths at either or both ends are a possibilty. I'm not so sure about billet rods though. With CNC machinery this would be an easy way to make a one off from billet and suitably heat treated and ground, but without the grain flow that is inherent in forged rods I'd say the risk of rod failure in a highly stressed engine would be highly probable. Would be good to try it but who would be willing to suffer the catastophic damage of failure.
 
I have been able reclaim one rod (elsinore 125) that had a small amounts of wear by having the big end bore ground to clean it up and then make a matching stepped crank pin to restore the correct running clearance and using the standard needle bearing. The case hardening in this area is usually deep enough to allow such a mod provided the material removed is no more than 0.2-0.3mm on diameter.

Wish there was an easy solution to this.




   

[Lozza]

Nothing is hit and miss about using another rod, they go up and down and round and round in jet ski's and snow mobiles as well. I have a big chart on rod widths, lengths and centre to centre distance, so it's measure and match up. Outboards use a split rod and bearing therefore not suitable.
For instance there is 2 options for a  replacement for a CR 125  depending on if it has a 20 or 22mm crank pin. No grinding etc etc, it's not out of a CR but who cares?
Good point about the grain flow in a forging that's why they are so strong and rarely fail . Also ONLY the bearing bores are heat treated the rest is untreated.

[oldfart]

Having spent the best part of 18 months tracking down rod manufactures - getting quotes - buying rods that are supposed to do the job but are know where near the ball park 
Lozza- is on the mark with jet ski & snow mobile rods 
Brad , first up you need an old rod in hand , next write down all the necessary dimensions ... big end pin Dia - small end pin dia - centre to centre's
A PE 400 rod replacement ended up being a    Seadoo 650 ( jet ski )
I'll fill you in on Sunday 

[jimg1au]

if the rod is a little longer you can put a spacer under the barrell.and away you go
ie later cr rods fit just need 4mm spacer under barrell
jim

[crabman]

My claim to fame is not my technical knowledge of bikes, mine is riding anything with a throttle relatively slowly.

Can anybody confirm the feasability of using a CR 500 rod kit with a 4 mill spacer?

What material would be recommended for the spacer?

As I am building a race bike, I would prefer to remove any potential problems. What type of problems couls/ would I pick up?

Are there any other suggestions ?

All advice is greatly appreciated

Gavin / cRABMAN

[090]

I am going to go to some length to get a suitable cr480 rod kit sourced. I took a crank to George Mackensie who has all sorts of charts and he looks at a lot of different possibilities including Seadoos etc. I will find the rod and measure it up.
George sorted a ktm125 '84 model with an Aprilia rod and an rm125 '01 piston so he has some idea.

Can anybody confirm the feasability of using a CR 500 rod kit with a 4 mill spacer?

Crabman,are you talking about a cr500 rod for your 480? If you are they are too different. An '88 type rod can be used on the earlier 500's and use a spacer.
Talk to you on the weekend Stew.
Thanks everyone so far. I will post some measurements and see if anyone can find something similar.

[lukeb1961]

Good point about the grain flow in a forging that's why they are so strong and rarely fail . Also ONLY the bearing bores are heat treated the rest is untreated.

I recall reading an old thing from the 70's that cast jet turbine blades were stronger in tension than the forged items. So much trivia. So little time!

[evo550]

I have tried fitting a '84 500 rod to a '82 480....but it was more than 4 mill difference I'm sure.
Had a base plate spacer made up to lift cylinder to suit extra rod length, only to find exhaust manifold wouldn't line up (as well as carb)
If I remember correctly (and usually I don't) raising the cylinder caused the main frame downtube to foul the exhaust manifold outlet.
Put the old rod back in and sold it.