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King Racing Rod Bearings
Pontiac V8 King Racing Rod Bearings
Chosen by Material — King Racing Rod Bearings for Pontiac V8s
King Racing rod bearings come at the problem from the material side. Instead of choosing a groove pattern, you are choosing what the bearing face is made of — and on a Pontiac running a nodular cast iron crank or a hard-launched drag setup, that is often the more useful lever.
Butler stocks two King families here: the CP series, a tri-metal copper-lead alloy bearing for the factory 2.250" Pontiac journal, and the HP series, a narrow bi-metal silicon aluminum bearing for the 2.200" big-block journal used on stroker cranks.
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1. CP for the Pontiac journal, HP for the big-block journal
King splits its Pontiac coverage cleanly, and the journal you have decides which series you are shopping.
| CP series, 2.250" Pontiac | Tri-metal copper-lead alloy, catalogued for the factory Pontiac rod journal. Stocked standard, .010", .020", .030" and .040". |
| HP series, 2.200" big-block | Bi-metal silicon aluminum in a narrow design, for the big-block journal most Pontiac stroker cranks use. Stocked standard, .010", .020" and .030". |
| Check the crank spec sheet | A 455-based stroker is usually on the 2.200" journal. The engine's displacement does not tell you which series you need. |
2. What the HP series was built for
King is specific about the problem this bearing solves, and it is a problem plenty of Pontiac builders have actually seen.
| The design intent | Developed mainly for drag race applications needing a material harder than a babbitt top layer — applications that demand a structure able to withstand high loads for short duration while still offering higher embeddability and compatibility. King calls the result the Alecular metal structure. |
| Beyond drag racing | King also recommends the HP series for many performance applications with nodular cast iron crankshafts, including street, strip and some levels of circle track racing. |
| When to reach for it | King lists three specific cases — when a tri-metal bearing's babbitt overlay extrudes over the sides, migrates to one end or is physically removed by the crankshaft; when the intermediate layer of a tri-metal bearing is exposed and damages the journal; and when contaminants in the oil stream scratch and damage the journals. |
3. Narrow bearings and fillet clearance
The HP rod bearings here are narrow, and that word carries a consequence.
| Why narrow | A narrowed bearing gives more room at the crankshaft fillet. If your crank was ground with generous fillets, that is what you want. |
| What it costs | Less bearing width means less load-carrying area. That is an acceptable trade on a race engine and a deliberate choice on a street engine. |
| The CP alternative | If you are on the Pontiac journal and running a street or street/strip combination, the tri-metal CP series is the conventional answer and the full width comes with it. |
4. Clearance sizes
King stocks the HP line with clearance options built in, which saves fighting the machine work.
| Extra clearance | A .001" extra-clearance HP set for builders who want more oil at the rod. |
| Undersized | A .001" undersized HP set for moving clearance the other direction. |
| Order to the grind first | The clearance variants sit on top of the undersize, not instead of it. Get the crank's finished size, then decide whether you want to move clearance. |
| Verify on the bench | Plastigage or mike the assembled clearance regardless of what the box says. |
Give us the rod journal diameter, what the crank was ground to and whether it is a cast or forged crank. King's own guidance leans on that last answer more than most lines do.
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.