Eagle Specialty Products - Forged Rods, Forged Cranks, Rotating Assemblies

Johnson's Quality Machine offers Eagle Specialty Products forged rods, forged cranks, and rotating assemblies for our clients. While we use these products in some of our custom engine builds, we offer them on the Web, at as reasonable a price as we can. Ten years prior to Eagle's official opening were spent developing the technology, relationships, and design that has become Eagle Specialty Products, Inc. Eagle formally began business in August of 1992 offering just a couple of rod part numbers. Eagle's commitment to quality and service has resulted in customer loyalty and satisfaction. This,in turn, has fueled rapid growth over the years. Eagle added crankshafts to their lineup a few years later as well as expanding the offerings in connecting rods. Continuous design improvements and improvements in materials and manufacturing techniques have resulted in Eagle being the largest and most respected aftermarket connecting rod and crank manufacturer in the industry. Eagle never stops researching ways to make their products lighter, stronger, more efficient to manufacture, and more diverse. When you stop moving forward, you get passed by the competition.

Chevy 4340 Forged H Beam Rods

Part #	Big/Small	Length	Picture	Price
CRS5700B3D	Small Block	5.700 in.		$379
CRS6000B3D	Small Block	6.000 in.		$379
CRS6125B3D	Small Block	6.125 in.		$439

Chevy 4340 Forged Steel Cranks

Part #	Big/Small	Stroke	Picture	Price
435030005700	Small Block	3.0000 in.		$579
435032505700	Small Block	3.2500 in.		$579
435034805700	Small Block	3.4800 in.		$550
435035005700	Small Block	3.5000 in.		$579
435037505700	Small Block	3.7500 in.		$550

Beware of imitations!

While Eagle has been copied and imitated over the years (some companies being so bold as to use the same part numbers!), the similarities are only skin-deep. They may look similar on the outside, but what you can't see is the material properties, quality control, precision machining, and attention to important details. Eagle constantly purchases our competitors' products and phyically and metallurgically tests them to evaluate where they stand against the competition. Eagle strives to be among the best connecting rods and crankshafts available today both in strength and cost-effectiveness. Eagle rods have been tested against some of the big, well-known custom rod manufacturers and have proven themselves to be as good as, and sometimes superior to, all of them. Just because another product costs more, do not think it must be better. Eagle has invested a lot of resources into efficient manufacturing processes. Eagle facilities are engineered and equipped for large-scale manufacturing. This is the key to cost-effectiveness. Eagle strives to offer rods and cranks for the most popular applications, currently offering over 200 different connecting rods and 180 different crankshafts. Eagle is not, nor do they strive to be, the cheapest rod available. Too often, companies take shortcuts in manufacturing, quality control, or material to reduce costs. These are important attributes Eagle is not willing to give up. Eagle never compromises manufacturing practices, material, or quality control checks for the sake of cost.

Quality

All Eagle H-beam rods are forged from certified 4340 chromoly steel. While a lot of companies make rods from this material, if you pay close attention, you will notice not all 4340 is the same. For instance, to be classified as "4340 steel" certain alloying elements must be present in certain percentages. AISI/SAE specifications call for 1.65% to 2.00% nickel content. While this seems like a small difference, understand that this is almost an 18% variation. 4340 steel with 1.65% nickel will act a little differently than 4340 steel with 2.00% nickel content. This is just one of many alloying elements involved in creating 4340 steel. Through extensive material testing, Eagle works closely with the foundry they use to achieve a much tighter tolerance of all alloying elements to their specific requirements. Along with this, the heat treatment and tempering process used is vital to producing a strong steel. While exactly what Eagle does is a closely guarded secret, all of this attention to detail results in a stronger and much more consistent material. Eagle "4340" steel routinely tests 10-15% stronger than "typical" SAE/AISI spec 4340 steel.

Another important design feature is all Eagle H-beam rods are manufactured from a 2 piece forging. This is significant because it enhances the strength of the rod cap by orienting the "grain" of the metal with the direction of stress. The stress exerted on the cap is perpendicular to the stress on the beam. Forged metal, like wood, has a grain "flow". While wood is stronger in compression and tension when the stress is applied along the grain, it is weaker when the stress is applied perpendicular to the grain. The same is true for steel. Although not as severely different as wood, forged steel will show the same type of result. It might be minor, but several "minor" enhancements combined together result in a major improvement. Eagle also never uses "cracked cap" type of manufacturing. This is a cheap alternative to try and produce a more perfect fit between the cap and the beam. The problem is that in order for this to work, the rod material must be brittle (that's bad), and Eagle would have to make the rod as a single forging. Instead of resorting to those kinds of measures to achieve a "pefect" fit - they just machine the rod and cap perfectly. So much so that it is difficult to see the parting line at all!

Eagle uses the state-of-the-art Sunnen Krossgrinding system to achieve perfect bore size and consistency unmatched in the industry. This system is completely computer controlled and produces perfect and repeatable results every time.

Crankshafts

Eagle crankshafts are polished on purpose-built Q-PAC micropolishing equipment. This machinery teamed with specialised polishing media produce a journal polish like no other in the industry. They routinely see a 2 R.A. or better (sometimes a 0 R.A.!!) on all crankshaft journals. If you are not familiar with those numbers know this: several years ago GM bragged about the incredible journal finish they were able to achieve on the Cadillac Northstar engine. It was heralded as a breakthrough in machining technology. It was a 7 R.A. finish. While this finish is exceptional in its own right, it is eclipsed by Eagle's revolutionary ESP Armor Process.