[ponyakr]

"...Tried to look some up and all I saw was .981" pin size..."


Sometimes Pontiac pins are listed as .980, & sometimes at .981. Has been posted here many times that, the ACTUAL size of pins vary between brands.

Not likely that a shop would shrink back from honing a pin hole by .001. Guessing that many have been honed to use .984 Mopar pins & even .990 BBC pins.

Check out this pic & compare the small end of the cast vs a 5140 rod. Although the shape of the small end is different, I'm assuming the pin hole is the same size in both rods. So, if the hole in the cast rods is too small, seems logical that the hole in the 5140 rods is also too small. Since Pontiac pins are listed at .980, in most cases, it would make no sense at all for somebody to make a Pontiac rod with a .981 hole. That would make it unusable for pistons with .980 press pins.

Can't imagine a shop that would not enlarge a pin hole by .001. It has been posted here, many times, that most pins need to be fitted in the pistons & rods. It seems to be a very common part of the engine building process.