Empi rods????????????????

[65bug]

Hi guys,
    I sound these on ebay for a pretty penny. They look more like a collectors item then anything else. You know, put them on the shelf for show.
     I started reading up on them and they actually sound really nice. I have a feeling they where made by someone else and Empi badged them.
     Anyone running these in a big motor? Check out the pic. They do look cool!

[65bug]

PRICE: 229.00!!!!

[S/P4884]

 Measure them before you use them. I had a guy bring a set over and the big end was too small and locked the bearing on the crank. After he had them remachined they were fine.

[65bug]

Thanks! I would never trust them in my motor. Empi is making some nicer looking stuff though. Sounds to me like another made in china item...................

[Darth Weber]

They are Chinese, just like all the CroMo H and I beams everyone else sells. The sellers are obviously paying the Chinese for a low cost product to maximize their profit and not for a "finished" product, ergo the $229 price. At some point someone will step up with enough brains and integrity to realize there are people out there willing to pay a little more for a higher quality "finished" product, which the Chinese are perfectly capable of producing. My 2 bits.

[Glenn]

As with every new part.. they need to be blue printed before using.

[so67vw]

I just saw one twist up real nice... It was attached to a Wiesco piston that came apart at the pin..... First pass after freshly resized barrels....

[stealth67vw]

Those are not collector items. They are brand new Chinese junk that Empi peddles.

[65bug]

My next rods will be Pauter Cr-mo rods. I really like Pauter stuff!

[65bug]

These would perfectly compliment my Pauter stroker welded cranksahft and Pauter cam

[Ohio Tom (DdK)]

Pauters are nice rods, but they ain't cheap. Don has some impecable workmanship thou. If you need the best, there is one choice IMO.

Isn't it funny how we see this kind of progression of product life cycle in many products these days.
First Made in USA, then Made in China, almost as good. Then a crappy version of the same thing.
The 009 dist is the same way.
Flywheels (the whole cast thing).
etc...
I personally don't have any experience with Empi rods, but I always thought they were the same ones everyone sells.
I'm very alarmed to hear of a failure. I'd really be intersted in knowing more about that failure. Pulling wrist pins out is serious business.

[65bug]

Ohio Tom,
     I personally would have preferred original VW rods with all the machine work done to them w/ larger bolts. I have read that with the milder angle of the rod with a 78mm crankshaft they hold up very well. I have scat rods in my motor with ARP bolts.
      I have had 2 out of 3 major failures with scat parts. So I am done with them.
      Don really helped me out with my cam selection on the phone. I like him and trust him.......
      And I got a old school welded Pauter crankshaft thats never been turned. There stuff is great.
      I have always been a advocate of free trade with other countries. It drives us to work harder and make better things.
      However, the china free trade has got to go. How can we compete with people working AND living at the factories that make our VW parts? They live there, and make 10.00 a month. Many times they do not get paid.
       We need to tax all that stuff coming in here to the USA. This will level out the playing field a bit, and allow us to build and sell parts here.
       We are better engineers, and our forging/steel is much better then what they sell back to us.
       I consider myself lucky with the lifter and fan failures I had. It could have taken my whole motor out......