Here I am, taking my first LS apart when I get ready to scribe in the numbering for my rods. I watched a video of it in the past of basically some guy buying and using punches with numbers in them to engrave the rods. Well, like a genius I take one, hit it with a hammer, but nothing happens. So, what do I do? I keep whacking it with a full on hammer until I realize that Amazon engraver punch thing sucks ***. The electric one was so much better. Anyway, I was full on hammering the center of my OE rod with a punch and hammer. Still good? I figure they take more of a beating in the motor running anyway, right? Idk, what do you think?

 

If the rod is bolted together and on the crank at the time of punching, it's near impossible to damage it.

If the rods are disassembled and you've been wailing on them out in the open, they're probably all kinds of distorted. I'd recommend getting another set of rods.

An electric engraving pencil is indeed MUCH better than number punches. Costs roughly the same. Not sure why anybody uses punches for that anymore.

 

Clean a spot off with solvent and mark it with a sharpie marker!!!!!

 

Works fine as long as you don't have to clean up the rods after disassembly. Any solvent will of course eat the marker off.

Electric pencil is better.

 

Most of the time I clean the top of my pistons and mark them with a black sharpie.

 

I did that once too, until I had to re-clean them, and discovered the Sharpie washed right off.

Electric pencil is better.

 

This should last better than a sharpie; https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail...ootChecked=yes

 

Besides giving Dick Uihlein my money, it washes off in solvents.

Electric pencil is better.

 

YUp, I bought one and that was the end of it. I'm half tempted to reuse the stock rods. I did hit them a handful of times with a bit of strength, but I just can't see how they'll deform at nearly stock power levels. I'm undecided

 

If they were still bolted up and supported by the crank journal they're probably perfectly fine. Nowhere for them to bend to.

If they were out in the open and you wailed on them that way, ... they are now EGGS. GARBAGE. Throw them in the trash.

Since you haven't said anything about that I can't offer any further guidance. Let your conscience help you make the right decision.

 

It's just hard for me to accept that a steel rod would be impacted by me hitting it five or six times with a punch with only moderate force applied when these things see explosive forces tremendously higher. I get that it's a punch and hitting the center line, but there are no observable deformities. Since it's a stock horsepower vehicle pretty much, it's hard for me to spend near 2k on a piston rod combo, but I may do it for piece of mind.

 

Rods are made of relatively soft malleable metal. That's why they so often bend when things happen like getting hydraulic-ed.

Unless you have detonation, there's no "explosive" force being applied to them. Detonation also bends them. Butt even so, combustion pressure is applied to their length, endwise, not from the side where people like to number-punch them; and the force is probably less than you think it is. Blows from the side however, with the other side sitting on a workbench or whatever, WILL egg the big end and the cap. I've witnessed someone destroy a set that way.

Punching them while they're bolted to the crank though, there's no way to deform them, since you're not applying force in a direction that would bend the "ears" inward. All you're doing to it that way, is trying to compress the metal between the punch and the crank. That's safe, won't hurt them.

Can't speak to "observable deformities". I suppose if the bearing bore still mics OK then ... they're OK. I'd FOR SURE at least check them though, if you did in fact try to punch-mark them out in the open.