beast69camaro

iTrader: (14)

OK, I discovered a place that's selling CAT 4340 cranks and H-beam rods for really cheap (www.crankshaftdepot.com), but I've never heard of CAT brand stuff before (www.catpep.com) and I can't seem to find anyone with first hand experience with their parts...I guess either the parts are crap or just nobody has heard of them. Anyone have any experience with their cranks or rods?

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Breifly owned a set of their rockers speced at 1.65 they measured 1.6 and I only trusted them for a couple hundred miles trying to squeeze a little more out of a combo. I actually know someone who lost a bearing due to stray aluminum chunks from these pieces of crap.

There is a company called ohio crankshaft that is supposed to have some decent stuff, balance is off but the stuff is usable at least.
I would not trust anything CAT after handling the rockers and how they did not care when I told them they measured 1.6 instead of 1.65, tells me they know it is junk and just don't care. I bought from CNC motorsports not crankshaft depot though.

CNC Stew

You've got to be on a really tight budget to use CAT stuff.

I think " You get what you pay for " would apply here.

BizZzatch350

iTrader: (33)

Word saving a little money here and there can lead to a lot more money down the line had you just done it right in the first place.

beast69camaro

iTrader: (14)

Thanks, but I am aware of the "you get what you pay for" motto, and so such advice really isn't necessary. What I'm looking for is first hand experience with their parts, not speculation that their products in general are crap based solely upon their price or popularity. (since some of you seem to care...I'm not going to buy these products unless others have proven them.....so less advice and more first hand accounts, if any, would be great).

If anyone could provide that, it would be greatly appreciated. After all if someone could prove at least their bottem end parts are the real deal....they might just become the new thing to get for your bottom end buildups.

With that said...does ANYONE have experience with CAT cranks/rods?

On a side note: not that it matters, but the prices are usually higher from the manufacturer; I guess the crankshaft depot just has them on sale at cost or something. Also, CHP magazine did an article on a 654hp pontiac 350 using these rods.

sleeperMULLET

iTrader: (4)

I have CAT rods, My machinst said CAT is manufactured in China, but machined in the USA, just like SCAT. He said CAT makes Manely rods also. The CAT rods i'm running are rated at 900hp. I haven't had a problem yet, but I only have 280mi on my engine.

beast69camaro

iTrader: (14)

Awesome Mullet, thanks man. What kind of power levels/driving abuse do you subject the car to? Keep us updated w/ their performance or any problems as you get some mileage on the car?

Also, a note to everyone: whether it's true or not, the crankshaft depot informed me that CAT used to supply forgings to companies like SCAT and Eagle in the past (I know machining/heat treating/nitriding/polishing differences affect the quality of the final product...but if that statement is true, it says something about the forging quality)

sleeperMULLET

iTrader: (4)

right now i'm probably around 500hp at the crank, I don't have any dyno numbers yet. CAT rods are great quality for the price. So far I'm just having tuning issues, I don't see why I would have any problems with the rods.

beast69camaro

iTrader: (14)

Cool, looks like a nice setup from your sig. Good luck w/ the tuning issues and keep us updated w/ the rod performance or any problems you have.

Thanks again for the input.

1997bird

iTrader: (2)

A customer of mine uses the Cat products on his alcohol dragster SBC 421,350, & 413.
The 350 he turns 9500 rpm and has had excellent results with the CAT products. He has had a lot of different brands (Comp Cams, Crower severe duty,Crane) of lifter's that have failed on him, the only brands that he will use is CAT, Erson, and Doug Herbert. All of his motor's use the CAT harmonic balancer's. He has a set of their shaft mount rocker arms that have been trouble free. I have seen the CAT crankshafts last just as long as Scat, Eagle, & Ohio Crankshaft, the same goes for the connecting rods. The only thing with the CAT cranks is they do need a little more time to balance them correctly, usually only $50 more for the balance. The biggest down fall that I have experianced with CAT is that they are slow to resupply products to their outlets.

lt1taracing

i used a cat(cal auto transpeed) crank in my 383 for the first build up. it cracked about five months later. i will never use them again. it was a cast crank tho. i currently have a scat brand (also cast) in my car now. i have had no problems with it.

beast69camaro

iTrader: (14)

Yeah lt1ta...I am only interested in their forged stuff. 1997bird, is your customer using CAT rods and crank or just valvetrain stuff? And when you say you have seen CAT bottom end stuff last just as long as others, do you mean that the reliability is ALWAYS on par with Scat and Eagle, or that CAT stuff SOMETIMES lasts as long as the more popular names?

1997bird

iTrader: (2)

The 350 motor he has, has the Cat connecting rods in it. He spins it 9500 rpm and has only had to change the rod bolts out on them for higher tinsle strength bolts(higher clamping pressure). As for the crankshafts, I have had several ones brought to me on circle track engine rebuilds. They are holding up to the abuse that the alcohol modifieds are putting out. They are for the most part 500 hp to 600 hp at the altitude here of 5300 ft. The placement of the lightening holes in the rod journals are not always into the center(some of the cranks I have seen are only like this maybe 1 out of 8). Depending on the placement of these they may not be able to handle 1500 hp like the Scat or Eagle crank's. For a good budget build I would have no reason not to go with one of these crank's or rods. The connecting rods that I have seen are just as good of quality as the Scat and Eagle's.

machinistone

Every single CAT product that I have seen has been mis-machined. Taper on journals, tolerances all over the scale. +.008+ on rod big ends.

beast69camaro

iTrader: (14)

hmm....mismachined parts and misplaced lightening holes won't work for me (even 1 out of 8). I won't chance questionable quality for the sake of budget. Thanks for the input guys. Others feel free to chime in and refute these claims though....