34 V8 broken connecting rod

H

hudson1948

Junior Member
1934 21 stud V8 completely rebuilt including new cylinder heads. Ran beautiful, did not run hot. Put on a couple hundred miles. Then #2 cylinder on left side went dead but no noise, pulled head and oil pan found broken connecting rod. Now I can not turn engine. Broken rod did not damage anything. I do remember seeing abnormal condensation coming out of breather pipe. There are traces of water in oil. Does not look like water was getting into combustion chamber, piston rings on broken rod were not stuck. When engine was running there was no sign of condensation or anti freeze smell coming out of tail pipe. Didn't unbolt connecting rods yet. Any ideas of what happened or where condensation in crank case was coming from. Thanks in advance.
 
Pictures pictures pictures

It's very hard to give anything much in good advice without seeing , a picture is 10,000words

rod breaks in the middle ---the broken end stitches anything in it's path like a sewing machine ---very easy to poke a hole in the waterjacket ---even if it is just a small dent with a hidden crack

What does the rebuilder say? ---at a couple hundred miles it would seem that something wasn't done correct
 
Hudson, were the rods crack tested?
Were they straightened?
I am interested as to why you now can't turn it over.
I would imagine for a rod to fail like that, so quickly, that it was being side loaded every time it went up and down.
Keen to see good photos, without which we are making wild guesses (as already stated)
 
welcome to the 'Barn....hopefully you'll get your engine sorted out....maybe hydraulicked(sp?) from water in that cylinder....and maybe water in cylinder on opposite head is keeping it from turning??...guess....guess....good luck....Mike
 
I had a 51 parts car that had a 8ba in it. I started it up and ran it with this con rod in the pan. I didn't know it had blown up. It ran pretty good except for a miss. Was I surprised when it took the pan down. The block and crank were re-machined and are running today...they don't make'm like they used to.
 

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That is a perfect example of the weak spot in a Flathead V8 rod. Where the stud is meets the rod. Always be sure to have that spot magnafluxed, don't let them mag the rod with the cap on, it won't show if there is a crack there. The rods are pretty strong if the bolts are good.
 
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