I just got your november issue and am a little bugged, I am definately not a professional engine builder, but I was always under the impression that aluminum rods were for race engines only, as in, don't they need replaced after some good beatings down the strip? I mean you have three cars on your cover, first the chevelle, I have no problems; the firebird, "street car runs 9's" with aluminum rods?; and the skylark, "10 second daily driver" also with aluminum rods.  Come on, do you think anyone is gonna replace the aluminum conecting rods in their daily driver once a season? Yuor crazy!  I think we need to make up a new word to call show quality race cars, because "daily driver" just ain't cuttin it in my book!

Thanks for reading,
Craig Glass

P.S.  That '72 skylark is one of the baddest cars you have ever featured! keep it up!  

I will say that Buick is definitely right up my alley, that thing is a bad mofo!  

I thought that if you let the engine warm up before driving it, the aluminum rods are ok for the street. If you are only making 600 hp, they would last a lot longer than 1 year. But at 600 hp who needs them. At least that's what I have read.