Hi. Sorry about that last post. Just became a member of this forum,great place for information. In my teens my older friend bought a 70 GTO, I knew I had to get one. After trade school and getting my first job, bought my 70 GTO in 73. It had a YS code motor and auto. trans. I read in magazines about the RA IV's and wanted one. While driving by a small wrecker which I had driven by every day for months, I spotted something orange colored in his lot. I stopped in and found a 69 GTO with 400RA IV,4spd,3;90posi. The trunk area had been flattened by a city bus while parked on a street. I bought it and stuck the drivetrain into my car. I drove it for a couple of months,when it developed a piston knock. I tore it down and found a broken piston skirt,it had 46,000 miles on it. I heard later that these motors had this problem because of excess tolerances. I bored it .30 over,put Speed Pro forged pistons,Isky anti pump up lifters,Crane factory replacement 041 cam in it along with clevite 77 bearing,cam and crank. Speed Pro rings,new oil pump etc. Drove the car for one summer then parked it because of gas prices and started a family. This was 1981. I kept putting light oil in the cylinders and turning the motor over every year. Now my kids have their license and they want to drive it,well me too. I dragged it out last year and pulled out the drive train and pulled everything apart,but left pistons in block. I plan to install a MSD 6AL unit to protect it from the kids over reving it. I've heard the rods are the weak link in these motors. If it's used for street and kept under 5200 rpm's, do I have to worry about it. I want to put ARP rods bolts in it and a double roller timing chain. The only things that aren't factory are an 800 Holley double pumper and JR headers. What do you think of the Arma steel crank No.9794054? The intake is the factory aluminum. Do you think I'm over carburated?
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