youngmonte71 Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 im rebuilding a 400 chevy small block, im building it for about 500+ hp and i was looking for a rotating assembly from eagle and some other places. and i was wondering what the difference between H-beams and I-beam rods are? and is one better then the other? And if anyone knows any good places to get a good rotating assembly fill free to tell me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike 57 Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 I beam, and H beam are a personal choice if they are at the same performance level. Here is a good choice in rotating assemblies. Linky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyDavey Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 I think H beam are considered to be a bit stronger.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike 57 Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 That is what some say Dave, but Oliver rods are some of the strongest out there and they are I beam. See what I mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyDavey Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 I'm speaking in generalities as usual... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 What IS the difference? Aren't an "H" and an "I" the same shape, but viewed from a different perspective? Ok...I see there is a difference: I'm learning something new. There is some good reading on the subject here: http://www.oliverconnectingrods.com/downloads/OliverCatalog07.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heckeng Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 The difference is which end is longer. On I beams, the middle web is longer than the end cross sections, on H beams, the end cross beams are longer than the middle web. I've heard both that I beams are stronger, and H beams are stronger. I don't really think it matters as long as whichever ones you use are made for your power level. H's look cooler to me for what that is worth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Wolf Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 I would worry less about the shape of the rod and more about rod length and rod to cam clearance in a 500 hp 400 SBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
680HPStroker Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 All good points, but all I know is that anyone who is building a serious high power engine of any displacement usually opts for 2340 forged steel H-beam rods from their favorite manufacture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc8oye Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 i would think i also has something to do with the fact that a I beam is stonger in one axis then another depending on if you are looking at it as an I or an H.. I'm not sure which one is which.. but that could be important on a connecting rod, as they don't take a whole lot of side-to-side force (fore-aft in the engine) but probably take a tremendous amount of stress in the side-side plane... if that makes any sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 There seems to be a fair bit of discussion on this topic. From what I gather, the two designs can be made to be of identical strength, but the H-beam always ends up being heavier. An increse of rotational mass is usually something to avoid... Here's another diagram and write-up: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-tech-...-beam-rods.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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