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Billet Aluminum Rods
Pontiac V8 Billet Aluminum Rods
Light and Purpose-Built — Billet Aluminum Rods for Pontiac V8s
Billet aluminum rods are a race part. They are lighter than steel, they absorb shock loading that would hurt a steel rod, and they are built to a finite life — which is exactly the trade a bracket or heads-up racer is happy to make and a street driver is not.
Butler stocks GRP aluminum connecting rods for Pontiac in the standard 5500 Series and the PRO 5500 Series, CNC machined from 7075 aluminum plate, custom built to your center-to-center length and pin size, with ARP2000 rod bolts.
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1. How GRP builds them
These are not forgings that get finished — they are machined from plate around your dimension, which is what makes a custom length straightforward instead of exotic.
| Material | CNC machined from a special 7075 aluminum alloy plate chosen for a combination of high strength, high fracture toughness and good resistance to fatigue crack propagation at high stress levels. |
| Built around your length | GRP machines the rod around the actual center-to-center distance, so a custom length is a matter of entering a new dimension. The rods are honed to size holding a genuine plus or minus .0002", and the finished center-to-center is cut from that bore to the same plus or minus .0002". |
| Bolts | ARP2000 rod bolts as standard, rated at 220,000 psi. |
| Finish | Polished in a high energy finishing machine to remove stress risers and leave a durable polished surface. |
2. Standard 5500 or PRO 5500
Two versions, and the difference is the alloy.
| 5500 Series | The standard GRP aluminum rod, custom built to your length and wrist pin size. |
| PRO 5500 Series | Built from a stronger aluminum than the standard series, with the same machining, tolerances and ARP2000 bolts. This is the choice when cylinder pressure is the limiting factor. |
| Sold as a set | Both are supplied pin fit, as a set of eight. |
3. Dimensions and what you need with them
Three things to settle before the order goes in, plus one part people forget.
| Big end and journal | The 6.700" and 6.800" big-block versions use a 2.325" big end on the 2.200" big-block rod journal. The 6.625" Pontiac version uses a 2.275" big end on the 2.250" journal. Both are 1.200" wide. |
| Pin size | Both lengths are offered for a .990" or .980" wrist pin. That has to match the piston you are running. |
| Rod bearings | Aluminum rods want a bearing drilled for them. Butler stocks a Clevite race rod bearing on the 2.200" journal specifically described as drilled for aluminum rods, in standard and .010". |
| Lead time | GRP quotes an average turnaround of about two weeks for a set of rods. Order accordingly. |
If the engine sees street miles, steel rods are the honest recommendation. If it is a race car and you are chasing reciprocating weight, call with the center-to-center length, the pin size and the journal and we will get a set specified.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.