I am putting together a 351w with flattops. I will bracket race it and shift at 5500 or so. The rods I have now are late 70's or early 80's stock 351w rods. I was wondering how strong they are. I am thinking of going with aftermarket rods but not sure yet. Any advice is appreciated
I have run them to 7000 rpm with no problems for over five years. Use ARP2000 rod bolts and have a bronze bushing installed in the pin end. If you plan to rpm the engine regularly then have it balanced.
The Windsor block is fine to 7500 - They are not perfect but then Ford hasn't introduced the FR9 yet so the Windsor is a great block to start with.