A strange one for you

[Tony Betts]

Here is a strange one for you.

Check the pic below.

I've been sorting out some stuff to go on ebay in the new years. And I came across this set of rods. I had these from steve flake a few years ago. And dave flake had had them white metalled about 15 years ago.

Dave obviously chose them because they were a matched set. All are marked with the same engine number, plus over the years they have been stamped 1 to 4. Then 1 dot to 4 dots.

Were things get strange is number 3 rod is totally backwards to the other 3 rods? When you face them all the same way up number 3 little end bolt is on the wrong side.

So did AUSTIN worry which way round they went in the engine?

Tony.

   

[Colin Morgan]

Just turn the 4th one over??

[dickie65]

Who let that apprentice put the conrods in the drilling /Tapping machine ??

Dont worry about it we will all be retired by the time its found inside the engine !!

[bystander]

I think all this suggests is that there was more than one set of forging tooling used to produce conrods. If these four did come from the same engine, perhaps one had been replaced at an earlier date?

I am sure Tony, and probably other hoarders, have a pile of used conrods they could sort through and check which face the part number is marked on and if it is consistent.

[Ian Williams]

Not consistent in my experience, I agree that its either a rouge rod or was simply drilled on the opposite side during manufacture. I cant see it causing any issues but I would keep the little end bolts all on the same side during assembly.

[Tony Betts]

all 4 rods are stamped with the same engine number, although as usual with them being stamped on the side of rod were it is uneven, some are clearer than others. they are all stamped with the same style stamp so obviously all done at the same time. ie a matching set from new.

they are all part numbered the same, even with a dot after the number. all are MF on the reverse.

it is likely as suggested, matchined by a trainee. with one the wrong way round. 

it does make me wonder though, did austin works worry about which way round the little end bolts were. or even the extent of how well the engines were ballanced? this one obviously got past any checks done. they clearly ballanced the big bits like flywheels. but with rods coming from the same batch, did they bother about ballance, or the little end bolt.

tony

[Bob Culver]

It would seem Dickie has explained. The rods appear suymmetrical before the spot facing and drilling.
Just before my father purchased it in 1941 our RP had (unfortunately) been fitted with an exch recon engine. My father noted one conrod was very much heavier than the rest. He whittled it down using the local grocer's scales for matching. Has anyone noted any great variation in the 1 5/16  rods?