The rods I'm using are a little shorter, stronger than stovebolt rods, with a narrower cross sectional area of the I beam section. That should increase the clearance at both the camshaft and the bottom of the cylinder walls. They're also considerably lighter weight than the stovebolt rods. 216 engines are considered to be boat anchors by most people- - - -free for the taking in some situations. Running a stock-appearing 258 cubic inch 216 block- - - -235 crankshaft, and a Corvette/261 cam with the bearing journals ground down to fit the 216 cam bearings- - - - -sounds like a sleeper to me! Add roller valve lifters and rocker arms, and things could really get interesting! Less drag on the rotating assembly equals more torque at the flywheel. A 270 cubic inch "235" or a 292 cubic inch "261" with the same setup will just add a thicker layer of icing to the stovebolt cake!
Jerry
