The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 261 rods

hey guys,,i'm rebuilding a 261 that came in a 62 nova i picked up..i know a 261 didn't come in a nova but it's a 261...when i tore it down i was surprised to find high compression jahns pistons in it. then found it's been bored .125 over. so now i'm putting it back together, new rings,bearings,etc.. i numbered each piston when i took them out. the pistons say either 1,3,5 or 2,4,6 on the top. the rods have a number 1-6 stamped in the bottom/side and on cap. but the rod numbers are different from the cylinder they came from..i didnt take pistons off the rods so was planning on putting them back in the cylinder i know they came from...i didnt want to take the pistons off the rods if i dont have to...my question is is there any difference in any of the rods...or are the number on them just for reference.thanks guys for any info..i'm new to these 6's and having a blast....

I'm not sure on the answer to your question but I am gonna watch this to see what the gurus say. I just wanted to congratulate you on a most excellent score on that 261. I just hope it doesn't have to be bored any more so you can still use all those parts. Good Luck with it.

All of the rods will be the same pattern. Sounds like someone had the engine balanced. I would leave the rods on the pistons unless I was have the rods reconditioned.

You're right, the 62 Nova didn't have a 261. It would have had either a 4 banger or a 194, the later series block, which was much shorter and narrower. The 194 would have had different mounts, too. Is the valve cover straight down both sides except for the mounting bolts (4 total on the 235/261) or does it have a series of dents between each cylinder in the driver's side (newer 194/250/292)?

thanks shipwright,,it's been fun from day 1...you'll probably hear more as i go..the reason the guy sold it was someone stole the 2x1 intake n carbs off it so it sat about 5 yrs. it's also got a cam in it says 272..the guy i got it from said it would get up and go..he didnt know much about it though,,told me it was a 235. next month i gotta decide on intake n carbs..2x1,,3x1..like i said before, i'm having a blast..

thanks for info fred t..it's a 261 cast#3733813

Hello Darin, sounds like you have a high performance engine there and thats not a big suprise since it came out of a novacaine.

All the rods are the same but I would do exactly what you are doing, put em back in the hole they came out of. The rods are numbered so you can match the cap back to them.

Are the rod numbers same as the piston number? I believe that is significant to some rebuilders, more so than which cylinder they came from. It is very important to get the correct cap matched back to the rod.

HiPo rebuilders match rod with wrist pin with piston and do a balance to crankshaft so at high rpm's you dont get unbalanced and lose the whole shebang.

Good luck and it really sounds like you have a good strong 261 to play with.

Hobert

no rod # doesnt match piston/cylinder #....i'm just gonna put em back like they cam out..it ran before,,should be fine....thanks guys...