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Author
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Topic: Removing Rod Caps?
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thumpin cat
Gearhead Posts: 260
From:
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 08-04-2003 08:53 PM
  
Whats the easiest way to remove Rod Caps? I just had mine reconditioned and fitted with ARP bolts and the caps just dont want to come off. I kinda dinged the inside of one rod cap where the bearing sits an also in between where te rod and cap bolts together, but its not too bad, Is this ok?
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steve'66
Gearhead Posts: 6522
From: Sonoma,CA,USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 08-04-2003 08:59 PM
Clamp the head of a big old hammer in your vise and set the rod end over the wooden handle. Then loosen the nuts.SteveW
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SteveLaRiviere
Administrator Posts: 33371
From: Saco, Maine
Registered: May 99
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posted 08-04-2003 09:01 PM
Ouch! Don't hit them with anything! Dings are not cool! {"Hey crack, start right here..."  } If you grab the cap with your hand and push on the rod bolt with your thumb they'll come apart. Pull the cap off evenly so they don't hang on the rod bolt threads. Sometimes if they are stuck you can give them a little tap on the side with wood. ------------------
'70 Mustang Mach 1 - '72 Mustang Sprint - '94 F-150 Please remember our sponsors,
Mustangs Plus, NPD, Osborn Reproductions, and FordRamAir.com
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thumpin cat
Gearhead Posts: 260
From:
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 08-04-2003 09:12 PM
The tiny Dings wont hurt anything will they?
was thinking i can just go over the dings with some high grit emery cloth and just smoot them out. What do you think? [This message has been edited by thumpin cat (edited 08-04-2003).]
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SteveLaRiviere
Administrator Posts: 33371
From: Saco, Maine
Registered: May 99
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posted 08-04-2003 09:19 PM
It depends where they are. You don't want them where the rods ride along side each other, or under the bearing shell that would prevent the bearing from sitting right.You may want to show them to your machinist. You have to treat these engine parta with care. ------------------
'70 Mustang Mach 1 - '72 Mustang Sprint - '94 F-150 Please remember our sponsors,
Mustangs Plus, NPD, Osborn Reproductions, and FordRamAir.com
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n2oMike
Gearhead Posts: 1547
From: Spencer, WV
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 08-04-2003 10:39 PM
Banging on the bottom of the rod will open it up top to bottom and pinch it in side to side. Pinching it in side to side is a VERY bad thing, as bearing halves will scrape the oil off the journal, and the bearing will eventually spin.As for EXTREMELY tight rod caps..... ARP Waveloc bolts are really bad about this. The waves extend down into the cap, and can lock it in place. ARP claims this helps keep the cap aligned, which is true, but can make the caps virtually impossible to remove with damage. I killed some chevy rods that were going into a 383 this way. This is when the Waveloc bolts first came out, and the caps simply would NOT come off. I had to beat on them pretty good to get them off.... and the engine didn't last a month or two before making a rod knock. I ended up fitting the bill for a new set of Scat rods for the thing. Since then, the machine shop has begun reaming out the caps a little bit to make them able to be removed without a special tool. Speaking of special tools, Proform has come up with a device just for this.  You place the rod on the tool, press the lever... and presto, the cap comes off! Here's their literature on this item... Roseville, MI: How many times have you heard ?if only I had the right tool for this job?! If you?re a car enthusiast you know the time and effort saved by having that correct tool, and also the degree of difficulty involved in removing a stubborn connecting rod end cap. PROFORM has just added this super handy Heavy-Duty Rod Splitting Fixture (#66773) to their line of fine engine building tools. This PROFORM H-D Rod Splitting Fixture quickly separates the cap from the rod without damage to the threads or cap. The tool is portable and easily mounts in your bench vise. Simply loosen the rod nuts a couple of turns, place the rod into the splitting fixture and pull the quick action handle. Nothing could make this difficult job easier or safer for your valuable parts. For additional information on other products from PROFORM?, please visit their website at http://www.proformparts.com, or contact them at P.O. Box 306 Roseville, MI 48066 Ph: 586-774-2500 Fx: 586-778-7775 Good Luck!
------------------
Mike Burch
66 mustang real street
302 4-speed 289 heads
10.63 @ 129.3
http://www.geocities.com/carbedstangs/cmml_mburch.html
http://www.fortunecity.com/silverstone/healey/367
http://www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?220
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steve'66
Gearhead Posts: 6522
From: Sonoma,CA,USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 08-04-2003 10:44 PM
t/c,I thought you were trying to get the torqued nuts off the caps.  SteveW
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thumpin cat
Gearhead Posts: 260
From:
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 08-04-2003 10:54 PM
I inspected the Rod Caps and found a tiny ding the size of a needle tip on the large chamfer that meets the crank counter weight, i sanded it a bit with 400 grit sandpaper and now its smooth but the ding is still there. Do you think ill be ok? I also sanded inside the rod cap and smoothed the dings so they wont interfere with the seating of the bearings, but again the dings are still there.
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Mario428
Journeyman Posts: 61
From: Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 08-05-2003 06:28 AM
quote:
Originally posted by thumpin cat:
I inspected the Rod Caps and found a tiny ding the size of a needle tip on the large chamfer that meets the crank counter weight, i sanded it a bit with 400 grit sandpaper and now its smooth but the ding is still there. Do you think ill be ok? I also sanded inside the rod cap and smoothed the dings so they wont interfere with the seating of the bearings, but again the dings are still there.
I think you better take that rod to a machine shop and have them clean it up and resize. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me running it the way it is.
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thumpin cat
Gearhead Posts: 260
From:
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 08-05-2003 07:22 PM
I took the Slightly damaged Rod to the Machine shop and the guy said he could just take the high spots down by hand, and he smoothed out the ding on the chamfer, though the tiny ding is still their he said it should be ok. What do you all think?
Give me your expert opinions
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steve'66
Gearhead Posts: 6522
From: Sonoma,CA,USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 08-05-2003 09:28 PM
Trust the machine shop guy. We can't see the "tiny ding" and he did. SteveW
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