I have a chance to get a nice set of Childs & Albert 6.535 rods for dirt cheap. I see a common BBC rod size is 6.385". Will the 6.535" work in a 454 with 4.25 crank? Will I be able to find pistons in the 9.5 - 10 compression range? Any extra machine work to use these? Any good reasons to pass on this?
Nothing wrong with a 6.535 rod. My 542 uses a 6.700 rod while my 632 uses a 6.635 rod. JE makes pistons in any compression ratio you want, including the 9.5 - 10 range.
As far as extra machine work due to the use of the rods, my guess will be yes but not strictly due to the rods. The crank alone will probably require you to have the block clearanced. It is best to mock everything up and check anyway.
The only reason I would pass on these rods would be if they looked bad or you can not trace their history. I am assuming that these rods are steel and not aluminum.
It's going to be awful hard to do with a 4.25 stroke unless you have a tall deck block like Steve. They are .400 taller to start with that gives lots more play room.
I'm using 6.385's and my wristpins are already into the oil ring groove and require a spacer.
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6.535" BBC Rods
