Olds 455 Con Rods?

[DelawareDave]

Dumb question. Which direction do the rod bearing tang slots face? Towards the cam? Or towards the outside of the block? My mind is telling me towards the cam, but want to be sure.

[gn7]

Dumb question. Which direction do the rod bearing tang slots face? Towards the cam? Or towards the outside of the block? My mind is telling me towards the cam, but want to be sure.
thats not the right question. the question is which way does the rod go in period. the tangs don't mean jack. the rod goes in so that the fillet relief on the rod faces the fillet, (where the rod journal meets the counter weight cheek) Look at the rod big end, with bearing inserted and you will see that the bearing is not center in the rod, and that side of the rod has a chafer (about 45 degree). that side of the rod faces the counter weight cheek.

[DelawareDave]

thats not the right question. the question is which way does the rod go in period. the tangs don't mean jack. the rod goes in so that the fillet relief on the rod faces the fillet, (where the rod journal meets the counter weight cheek) Look at the rod big end, with bearing inserted and you will see that the bearing is not center in the rod, and that side of the rod has a chafer (about 45 degree). that side of the rod faces the counter weight cheek.
That answer works for me. I'll look at a set I have in the attic real close. Thanks.

[DelawareDave]

Well, now I have another question. The rods appear to have the same size chamfer on both sides. The set that was in my attic looks to have bone stock pistons on them. The rods are stamped 1 thru 8 on the side at the parting line. The number 1 rod has an oil spurt hole at the parting line. This hole would face the cam, if the piston is in the #1 hole. The rod bearings have a slot to match this spurt hole.
Now comes the motor that is still assembled. It appears that someone marked the rods with a center punch, leaving little marks, to match the # of the cylinder. Problem is, the rods/pistons. are not in the holes as they are marked. The rods/pistons have been installed in the opposite bank as marked. 2,4,6,8 are in #1,3,5,and 7 holes. Number 2 is in the #1 hole. The # 1 rod has the same spurt hole at the parting line. None of the other rods have this hole. 2 sets. Only #1.

[gn7]

then the tangs go the same way as the ones that do have the spit hole when the spit hole faces the center or the cam. There may not be much of chafer in the rods because the cranks didn't have much of a fillet on the journals

[LynnsJet]

1. Don't you have a good "Olds" book (or two). I think I have 5 books for my bbc so that i can find the answer for all of the questions. Books are good.
2. Don't forget the key to an Olds engine is the oiling system. You have to get the oil back down into the oil pan to keep the oil pump supplied.
There should be some good threads for Olds engine and don't forget to talk to the guys at Mondello Performance Products. They know those engine and will tell you what you need to know.
Good Luck.

[DelawareDave]

Hey Lynn. I don't have any good Olds books. Got some Chebby books, tho, lol. From what I can find, the bearing tangs would go towards the cam, and that would put the spurt hole facing the cam as well. Looks like whatever "mechanic" worked on my original motor, must have been confused when the engine was upside down.
Thanks, gn7, as well.

[wsm9808]

Dumb question. Which direction do the rod bearing tang slots face? Towards the cam? Or towards the outside of the block? My mind is telling me towards the cam, but want to be sure.
Thats not a dumb question. They will work either way. As you already noticed the bearing is not offset in the rod like you see on most engines that share two rods on one journal and there is no offset on the centerline of the pin bore and the rod bearing bore.
I worked heavy line at an Olds dealer in the 70s and when we would tear a 455 apart the rods were facing every whichway. However, the early 455 engines(68, 69) had the grooves for the squirt holes cut into the caps on the notch side. The squirt hole was for cam oiling, so, they were facing the cam.
I dont like the "random" order method, so, if I dont have rods that were stamped in an engine before they were removed, I assemble them with the notches on the cam side.
Dont forget to watch the dots/notches on the top of the pistons. They go to the front of the engine and the rods need to be installed accordingly.

[Wet Dream]

Or you can buy my Olds motor. All you need is a carb and an oil pan. Ran perfectly when I swapped out. The drainbacks have been enlarged in the heads and block. Its a 461, Speed Pro pistons, G heads, HEI, I can get the cam number, turned my last pump at 4800-4900 with an A.