Chrysler 265 rebuild.

[RustedAddiction]

I’m having a 265 rebuild and having trouble finding connecting rods and bolts.

 

Any ideas?  
 

adding a picture of the block and repaired crank that just came in. 

[Sniper]

https://www.oldmoparts.com/parts/l_engine/connecting-rod-assembly-4/

 

 

[47 dodge 1.5 ton]

The connecting rods for the 265 are hard to come by. May want to look at re-machining 237 rods offset. I was looking at this in a pinch but did need to move forward. 

[James_Douglas]

Tony Smith will make up a set of Carrillo Connecting Rods and Forged Pistons for about $4K....

 

I have given it some thought...

 

James

[James_Douglas]

1 hour ago, Sniper said:

https://www.oldmoparts.com/parts/l_engine/connecting-rod-assembly-4/

 

 

Sniper, the 265 rods are unique and very hard to find. They also have a unique rod bolt that is also hard to get. The nut is also unique and hard to get. All in all 265 rod assemblies are a PITA if you do not have them in hand. I have a 265 engine complete that I will rebuild for the '47. I also have a few spare 265 rods.

 

I doubt that Bernbaum or Mitchel has them. Once in a very blue moon I see one come up on ebay and I buy it. I have not sen one in the last year or two.

 

James.

[Sniper]

Says to call and ask, if you don't call you won't know. 

[keithb7]

I imagine Mopar cast countless tons of steel for industrial 265 engines for probably 20+ years. I keep my eyes peeled. Farm combines. Welders. Water pumps. Airport tugs. To name a few. I imagine a very large portion of those applications have long since been scrapped. There definitely is some old mechanized farm equipment out there laying in fields rusting.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed rebuilding my 237 engine. I would love to build up a 265. Good luck in your search.

I did find a straight 8, but the owner seems to think its a Dusenberg. Mother nature is taking it back.

Edited March 26, 2022 by keithb7

[47 dodge 1.5 ton]

Be best to find another 265 for spare parts IMO.  I have one located about 5 hours from me for peanuts but haven’t went down to retrieve it as the owner has no outside communications so it’s a tough deal. This one doesn’t run so it’s a gamble if the rods are any good and I don’t really need another one.

[40Club]

I rebuilt mine will find out where rod bolts came from, i seem to think it may have been ARP but will check with the machine shop.

[RustedAddiction]

Thank you for all the responses.  I have a second running 265 in another truck so had the knowledge that the parts may be hard to find.

 

i cant justify 4K for a set of pistons and rods.  If there has to be a custom solution, maybe there is a less expensive.

 

 Definitely interested in adapting 237 parts.  I haven’t seen that in my research other than knowing it’s the same 25” block.

I bought the whole thing as a gamble guessing it was a 265 taking the que from the missing intake manifold off and assuming it had been a dual barrel intake.  

Thanks for the help!  Keep it coming! 

 

[Dodgeb4ya]

The engine in the above picture looks like the std 265 in a 53-54 windsor...

..Dual grooved pulleys for power steering

..Curved out oil filler pipe for P/S generator..

Why do you need rods?..oil starvation?

[RustedAddiction]

My machinist said they were FUBAR.  I’ll circle back around with him on it.  

[kencombs]

4 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

The engine in the above picture looks like the std 265 in a 53-54 windsor...

..Dual grooved pulleys for power steering

..Curved out oil filler pipe for P/S generator..

Why do you need rods?..oil starvation?

My question also.  I don't  think I've ever seen more than two bad ones in a single engine.  And that was a V8 that had a really bad throw.   Most can be rehabilitated on a Sunnen machine unless they have suffered some sort of catastrophic failure.  Cut a little off the cap(and maybe rod casting), replace pin bushing and hone both to size.  Not cheap, but easy enough.

 

And, boy could I use a double pulley like that!

Edited March 26, 2022 by kencombs

[Bryan G]

Do you have the OEM part number, and have you been using that in your online search? Assuming yes, but figured it was worth asking. That can help ferret out stuff sometimes.

 

[Greg51T&CWagon]

When I was searching for mine I used a search engine that searches all of craigslist-nationwide. I located 3 engines this way over a period of a couple months. I got the closest one. https://www.searchcraigslist.net/

[Matt Wilson]

You might still be able to take the custom piston approach, but not purchase custom rods.  You could use rods from a 237, which I believe are 1/4" longer than rods from a 265, but make your custom pistons so that their compression height is 1/4" less than stock.  That way, the piston tops will still come up flush with the block deck, like the original parts would.  Given the stock compression height (nearly 2"), there should be plenty of room to reduce the compression height without issue.  You could even buy a modern ring set that will last a lot longer than the OEM and will preserve the cylinder bores for much longer as well.  I'm having custom pistons made for my 265 build, although I'm sticking with the factory rods and bolts.  The pistons are a little under $800 including tax from JE Pistons.  Someone else on this forum steered me away from them a little, based on their experience with JE getting too many of his orders incorrect, but I went with them after calling every custom piston manufacturer I could find, because they offered more flexibility compared to the other manufacturers, along with the alloy that I wanted, and their price was significantly better too.

 

You could also talk to Egge Machine, who makes custom pistons - just not forged.  They might be able to make a set of pistons with a different compression height.  When I talked to them about making pistons, it was going to be about $330 plus tax, but I wanted forged (just my preference).

 

Either of the above approaches would be substantially cheaper than buying a custom set of rods and pistons.

 

Having said all this, I would strongly caution you to check your internal engine clearances with the 237 rods prior to ordering custom pistons.  The 265 rods and bolts were made the way they were made because they needed the added clearance inside the engine.  The stroke of that engine is so long that a standard rod configuration, like the one in the 237, runs the risk of impacting other objects, such as the camshaft, the oil pan rails and maybe other things.  If you have access to some 237 rods, you could mock them up with the 265 crankshaft and your old pistons in your block and see if they will clear everything, plus some extra clearance in all directions to account for flexing of the parts under load.  The same approach could be taken with 251 engine rods.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Matt Wilson