[Tom Vaught]

If we go thru each rod, step by step, Ed.

On a Chebby the Front Cylinder on the driver's side bank is closest to the front bumper of the car (or Crank Snout/Balancer for reference point). This cylinder is called #1

On a Pontiac, the Front Cylinder on the passenger side bank is closest to the front bumper of the car (or Crank Snout/Balancer for reference point). Pontiac guys call this cylinder #2 but the rod closest to the snout/balancer is normally called the #1 cylinder.
Pontiac followed the spark plug wiring cylinder numbering but not the actual front most cylinder "naming convention".

So the guy initially numbered the rods and installed them like a Chebby.

Big Chamfer in the rod to the front on the #1 rod and Big Chamfer to the rear on the #2 Rod. So in order for the rods to be in the right spots for the chamfers on the Pontiac crank the Chebby #1 rod (Chamfer to the front) was moved to the Pontiac #2 cylinder. The #2 Chebby rod (chamfer to the rear) was moved to the Pontiac #1 cylinder.

So that takes care of the first two cylinders.

Same deal happens with the #3 and #4 Cylinders (they had to be swapped side for side to be in the right locations on the Pontiac crank (chamfer wise).

So about half way thru installing the rods and pistons apparently the guy noticed that the rods were not right and puts #6 & #8 in correctly and puts #5 & #7 in correctly in the block in relation to the chamfers on the crank and the rod location on the crank (front or rear position on each rod journal).

Hope that makes sense.

Tom Vaught

[RAIV-Z]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

If we go thru each rod, step by step, Ed.

On a Chebby the Front Cylinder on the driver's side bank is closest to the front bumper of the car (or Crank Snout/Balancer for reference point). This cylinder is called #1

On a Pontiac, the Front Cylinder on the passenger side bank is closest to the front bumper of the car (or Crank Snout/Balancer for reference point). Pontiac guys call this cylinder #2 but the rod closest to the snout/balancer is normally called the #1 cylinder.
Pontiac followed the spark plug wiring cylinder numbering but not the actual front most cylinder "naming convention".

So the guy initially numbered the rods and installed them like a Chebby.

Big Chamfer in the rod to the front on the #1 rod and Big Chamfer to the rear on the #2 Rod. So in order for the rods to be in the right spots for the chamfers on the Pontiac crank the Chebby #1 rod (Chamfer to the front) was moved to the Pontiac #2 cylinder. The #2 Chebby rod (chamfer to the rear) was moved to the Pontiac #1 cylinder.

So that takes care of the first two cylinders.

Same deal happens with the #3 and #4 Cylinders (they had to be swapped side for side to be in the right locations on the Pontiac crank (chamfer wise).

So about half way thru installing the rods and pistons apparently the guy noticed that the rods were not right and puts #6 & #8 in correctly and puts #5 & #7 in correctly in the block in relation to the chamfers on the crank and the rod location on the crank (front or rear position on each rod journal).

Hope that makes sense.

Tom Vaught

Makes sense, although I would have expected a little more attention to detail from a shop like BES regardless of what the engine cost to build. I’ve had a few milder engines built locally and have never run into issues like this. What makes issues like this look worse than what they might really be is when someone screws up and doesn’t mention anything. A simple note on the blueprint sheet indicating rods numbering/placement in the block would have sufficed.