[Karl Wolf]

Originally Posted by tubman

No difference between the late ('49-'53) Ford rods or Mercury rods; they are the same, the difference is in the pin position in the piston. If you are using a Merc crank, stock rods will be just fine. There are plenty of stock rods floating around out there,. It will probably cost more to get them reconditioned than the rods them selves. I seem to remember some outfit was selling new French Ford rods for cheaper than the cost of reconditioning. An internet search may be in order. (I believe the French 4" stroke rods are different from the Ford units, so be careful.)

I would imagine you could find a set of rods on eBay, or the swap meet "For Sale" sections on here or the H.A.M.B. If all else fails, I save the good ones and could probably put together a set if all else fails.

If you really want to use the aftermarket rods, it's different ball game. Ford probably used better grade of steel than they do now days, though.

EDIT : Given you are assembling a rotating assembly from a number of different sources. it would be a good idea to have the whole thing balanced.

The 8BA rods are 8" center to center. (Some of?) the French rods are 7 7/8". This means one could use the Ford pistons with 7 7/8" rods and a 4" stroke crank.

Karl