how to lighten con rods ?
Turbo Mini Forums

hi guys im currently halfway through polishing my rods for my 1014 motor.
i was thinking about taking some weight out of them at the same time (im going to get them balanced afterwards) i was talking to someone the other day and they said someone like mini world or mini mag ran a feature on how to take some weight off of them in a lathe a while back , does anyone know what issue or mag this was in , whats the general rule of thumb for doing it , or just any hints or tips on taking some weight off of my rods ?
ive got a lathe so thats no problem, but i dont want to take too much off of them and weaken them . they are the kin with the offset big end cap and are in a mk2 cooper bottom end .

any help or advice appreciated
thanks
Ant

my understanding is that polishing them up looses a considerable amount of weight. if you do a search i think this has been covered.
if you have the yellow bible I know this is covered in their.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tuning-Engine-Defi...y/dp/1859606202

best £15 you will ever spend

there is 3 threads on here i can think off, vegards rods spring to mind but for once i cant find them, :(

found one, i know there is more
http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=284018

Edited by Brett on 16th Mar, 2010.

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

Ant where abouts are you?

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


Fibreglass Parts? - http://www.tdkracing.co.uk/
Split Rims? - http://www.force-racing.co.uk/

No point lightening them if you carnt ballance them??

Rick

shot peening get shouted about in the threads too

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

thanks for your help guys , i think ill buy the said yellow book if this holds the information i need on lightening them , i have the one about power tuning your mini or ahwtever it is , another vizard book .
yeah the polishing process alone has removed something like 10 grammes from each rod , which wil help but its not genna be a huge difference is it .
mikerace- im in wickford essex (near chelmsford) :)

if i have polishe them whats the reasoning to shot peen them ? does it help remove stresses further ?
no one know about the magazine article ?

thanks peoples :)
Ant

These are my 998 rods prepared by MED.



Lightened around the big end by machining, polished then shot peened to remove any stress raisers.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

wickford is nearer to southend than chelmsford....lol

take them down to mike at cyclone motorsport, it in anderson's yard, near the BP,

as said you will need to get them shot peened ofter you lighten them.

if you pm fastcarl he may be able to help you out on lightning them etc .......

He did mine and I have to tie them down now to stop them floating away!

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

does carl shot peen too?

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

I don't think so but they are nice & shiny now.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

i started lightening a set of rods but never finished polising them because i was looking into shot peening, im just sticking with a balanced set of a+ for now still need to find a good crank though

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

Was the crank in the spi fubar?

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

no no, its good, needs a regrind though so id rather put the extra cash too and have it worked at the same time

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

Swifty did my rods 11 years ago and never shot peened them but Ive never had an issue with them regularly going over 9,000rpm.
I guess its not that important

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

paul S they looks a bit tasty mate :)
does cyclone motorsport do balancing and lightening and stuff then ? i thought they were more of a fabrication sort of firm to be honest :)
essex steve- im in runnwell, up brock hill ? where abouts are you ?

so with regards the shot peening its sort of a matter of choice then ? decisions decisions , i doubt realistically it will rev over about 8k as the cam runs out at about 7500.

cheers
ant

mike, will know a guy that can do them cheap....and well,
i know brock hill, i work down that way alot,
do you have a copy of vizard's how to tune an A-series?
well worth getting,
pm me if mot you can borrow my copy,

yeah went to see mike today , yeah he pointed me in the direction i was sort of heading anyways :)

no i dont have a copy of vizards book , yeah if i could borrow one matey that would be fantastic please ! :)

Here's one of my rods, I still need to get it balanced and shot peened mind.

What's the date today again...??! lol
Perhaps you could lose half the piston skirt also...??!

Edited by Fortecphil on 1st Apr, 2010.