The Cal-look Lounge

I think I got the company name right.. has anyone used their conrods? Specifically type 4 ones, but any information about them appreciated. Good or bad. And I guess they're made in china, but that's not a prob if they're good. :-)

No personal experience with the rods. Lots of engine out there with Chinese parts in them.
Why not use the stock rods, longer stoke?

Look very closely at the bolts when you inspect the rods.
What at first appears to be ARP2000 is actually something else stamped on them.
I have seen some bolts fail.
Like most of these types of products,
these rods work fine, but need better bolts checking sizes and lengths.

I heard that quality of AA is each time different. 
I'm building at the moment 2332ccm, have taken the crank and stuff for balancing, comparing to CB cranks they took a lot of material of the crank to balance it (only the crank). Than it came to bolting the flywheel. And something strange occurred. The surface on the crank with the dowel pins is crooked. It lines with the surface of flywheel only on about 2/5th of the whole surface.
The slot for woodruff key for pulley is also kok-eyed...
Customer want to use all this AA stuff so I'm comparing, measuring ... and form this moment AA isn't looking good (5,5 Chevy H-beam rods and pistons are next).

Eddie,
If you buy those T4 AA rods through/from EMW, they are supposedly checked for measure and such. Talk to Jorge there, he will help you make the right choice.
Walter

thanks for the replies guys  :)

im using standard stroke as i have the crank and pistons , maybe longer stroke next rebuild  ;)

the ones ive seen are advertised as having ARP bolts in them, so surely they SHOULD have the real deal in there??

sorry for my lack of knowledge, who is EMW? 

many thanks!

European motorworks (aka eurorace)

http://www.europeanmotorworks.com/

I bought some lifters from them earlier in the year - far far cheaper than anyone in the UK.
If you email/phone them the shipping worked out much cheaper than on their online shop

wow, those guys also sell Brad Penn oil, for cheap!

Some update.

Second typ 1 84mm Chevy journal Crank came back from balancing company - the same problem again. Surface of the crank where the dowel pins are is totally not in line with the flywheel...

Did anyone have the same problem?

Would be grateful for any info. Did any one tried to fly cut the crank surface and put a spacer to make it fit proper? (I have that quack shit sculpturing... in mechanics)

A spacer would NOT work. But you should be ok if you remove the same amount on the backside of the flywheel snout.

Could try doing that Just have to remove the dowels (wchich are rock hard inside the crank).

Here is my experience with the AA rods.
I use AA Performance 2.0L H-beam rods in my 2533cc Type 4. I got them from Darren at DRD and payed $60 extra to get ARP 2000 bolts. (2-3 years ago)
I checked the rods and bolts very carefully when I received them and have no complaints. The engine has been running for one season now and I have experienced no problems at all.
I decided on the AA rods because the are light, cheap and with ARP bolts should be plenty strong.

The pics show that it is infact ARP 2000 bolts.
(http://vwnettet.dk/bb-media/pictures/2/0/91302/dsc00109.jpg)
(http://vwnettet.dk/bb-media/pictures/3/0/91303/dsc00110.jpg)

A friend of mine recently bought a set of AA type 4 straight cut cam gears...The chamfer on the "back" side of the crank gear was (much) to small, and you could not fit it properly. We solved this in a lathe, but anyway.. ::)

i have tried emailing EMW several times and i get no reply...  :'(

what company is DRD, sorry if its obvious!
i might try them..

http://www.drdracingheads.com/

Hey Griebel. - never heard of -that- problem. But one more thing to check, I guess.

As for the rods, what Warp writes. You can get both. I wouldnt trust the el cheapo 3/8 standard bolts in a high rever either, or at all.

Wrt the crank issue. I have seen it several times. But also on other chinese brands advertised though the US. The only brand that has made it home free, yet, is Scat. But then again, I have not used that many of those, so it may be luck. The Empi ones are, again, the worst. Both on machining and balancing. I have personally come to the point where I refuse to use them until the standards improove.
T

Has anyone had experience with AA Performance pistons to use with turbo.

I have this problem with a Scat crank at the moment. Seems to be about 0.20mm off square, and when mated to the Scat flywheel there is only enough initial end float to get 2 shims in.
I think I will have to get both the crank and flywheel machined to cure.  :(

I know the end play "problem" with Scat. It is mainly because the chamfer on the crank side of £1 bearing is too soft, (wide) so the bearing can not come in deep enough.
T