| Watts Shop Performance |
| Cast Steel Rods |
| Don't waste much time with cast- steel rods because they're poorly suited to any type of serious performance use. Though the casting process is very inexpensive and results in "near net" shapes that require minimal machining, the lack of a cohesive pattern and compromised molecular binding yields brittle parts. Trust us, brittle connecting rods are the last thing you want in a performance engine. In the1960's and 1970's American Motors, Cadillac, Buick and Pontiac all used cast rods in a wide variety of engine designs. In effort to improve molecular binding and strength, the molton metal was injected into the mold cavity under high pressure. The resulting casting may have been good enough for use in everything from GTO's to Jeeps, but they have no place in anything other than the most fanatical numbers- matching restoration effort. Worst of all, these cast parts had to be made heavier than comparable forged rods to maintain strength. When you consider that a cast "Arma-Steel" Pontiac 455 rod weighs 31.7 ounces and a stock Chevy 454 forged rod weighs 27.4 ounces, you'll agree they're the automotive equivalent of recycled cardboard. |