I'm starting to pick out parts for an engine rebuild for my chevelle and am looking for opinions on connecting rods (and cranks I guess). Scat and Eagle H-beams are the obvious low cost options. I've heard they are plenty strong for a nitrous assisted 600HP 6500prm small block, but they are so dang heavy. Lunati has their Pro-mod I-beams that should be just a strong and much lighter, but more $$. Carillo and Manley have several variations also...does the extra cost correspond to extra quality?

Any opinions would be helpful. If you have any input on cranks, I'd like to hear that too. Anyone use Lunati's sledgehammer crank yet? I would just jump on the Scat crank bandwagon, but I've been hearing negative things about their offshore steel parts. Are Eagle cranks good parts?

My combination now has made just over 400HP at the wheels (so 500 crank) and I'm looking to go bigger...in search of a few more tenths (you can see why in my sig). I believe I'm already walking a fine line with a stock cast crank and stock rods, and I don't want to trash my heads and block if there is a failure. So, time to spend money!

Thanks in advance.

We have a set of Eagle rods (H-beams) in the "Highest HP N/A Pump-Gas SBC In The Country" a few months back. And we didn't even use the optional rod bolts, we stayed with the ARP 8740's that was standard for those rods. Anyway the motor made (on 93 octane @ 468 C.I.'s) 732+HP @ 7000 RPM and 640+ Torque @ 5650 RPM. It's also plumbed with some 300 add'l Nitrous HP. No problems so far. They haven't used the nitrous yet but the motor saw many hours in the dyno room. Thanks Gary in N.Y.