Drumming up interest :: 4340 Forged Connecting Rods for 5VZ/3VZ

I plan on doing this as a little side gig with you guys here; communications are underway with manufacturer right now. Didn't post in buy/sell/trade yet since this is only brewing and lead time is 6 weeks+.

Unfortunately no pics yet, but here are some stock photos (haven't decided to go H or I-beam yet - need your input! Monologue below.)

Supported vehicles (from VZ Wikipedia page)(+MR2s with swaps) of the 5VZ-FE:
1995–2004 Toyota Tacoma
2000–2004 Toyota Tundra
1995–1998 Toyota T-100
1996–2002 Toyota 4Runner
Note that manufacturer mentioned compatibility with 3VZ also, but idk if that's -E or -FE, or both.


I-Beams in this instance have been confirmed to be heavier. Originally I just assumed H-beam was the way to go, but it occurred to me their lightness and structure only really matters with high RPM, of which our trucks are not. I'd assume most people interested will have superchargers with fuel mods and not redline unlockers/full aftermarket ECUs (most will have piggybacks).

I-Beam are stronger but heavier. To me less rotating mass is probably always a plus, but having the extra power insurance of an I-beam on trucks from which we love reliability seems more kosher. Let me know what y'all think/would prefer if you had the option.

Both are shot-peened for strength. Exact weights are not available until they are manufactured.

H-beam advertised at 150-200HP/cylinder. We'll stay conservative for now; That's a stable 800+HP for your V6. (For those wondering, you'd have to be pushing about 40PSI to make that power at redline.)

Some proposed specifics:
1. I will be installing them in my own vehicle first and doing a full 3k mile break-in before a single one leaves my doorstep. Need to strip down for blown head gaskets, might as well commit.
1b. I will try my darnedest to finally finish my tune at that point, up to 15psi and hopefully break 400WHP (without breaking anything else) on a dyno. That would ideally become my baseline for any sort of power guarantee (though again, it should be capable of much higher).
2. Package will include 6 connecting rods, a corresponding set of ARP 2000 bolts, Clevite bearings (subject to change), and new piston pin bushings. Could include a little instruction pamphlet too, if needed.
3. My proposed pricing would be $780 for the contents in #2, shipping included; pay me through Paypal.

The only competition I've found are the Pauter rods sold by a few retailers, which are 4340 X-beam. Cheapest I've seen is $1,347 for a set of 6, which do not include the rod bearings.

4. Because I know its going to be on someone's mind, these will be made in China AFAIK.



So anyway, look forward to everyone's thoughts and interest level. In full disclosure, this could become a reality in as little as 6 months, or as long as a couple years. Thanks!
[cross-posted]

 

Reserved

 

Bump and please leave a comment if you would be interested

 

A great set of forged connecting rods should be no more than five hondo bucks. And prob worthless unless you have the crank and balance the rotating assembly. I would look for some quality out of Australia...

 

This is all I've been able to find available for this platform on the market. If you know of something from Australia, please post it! I'm baselining the cost off a small production run, and $100 per rod, so it's near your figure of $500.
https://www.theboombopshop.com/Pauter-Rods-Toyota-5VZFE-p/toy-220-580-1480f.htm

As far as the crank, the way I understood the threads I've read over the last 4 years is that rods are the weak point, and only 1 (expensive) market option for upgrading as stated above. Upgraded harmonic balancer should be the way to go if balance is a concern. I'm assuming we aren't running high RPM, as mentioned in the post.

My goal here is to provide less expensive stability around the 400-500(+)WHP mark.

 

Take the crank and get some forged pistons to a machine shop and rotate the assembly. Yes you can plastic gauge the bearings but the machinist will check it. They take a bunch of weight out of the crank then add it...

 

Have you tried talking to Callies in Fostoria, Ohio? They make cranks, rods, etc. 1 source for the parts.

 

I have not. But looking at their prices on Summit Racing for various engines, they seem comparable to Pauter.

 

That's through Summit.... contact them directly, I'm not sure of a phone number, I have used their products with good success.

 

so what happend?

 

What happened where?

 

Thread died 3 years ago.

 

Worth mentioning the factory 3rz connecting rods were already shot-peened forged