TR2/3/3A hollow push rods ?

[Kleykamp]

I'm starting a head gasket project. I have done this on two other TR3's and seem to remember the pushrods being solid steel, turned rods. When I pulled the push rods out this time I thought they felt light and found hollow push rods with the ends crimped into them. Is my memory just foggy or are these some different type of push rod upgrade? This is a TS 32*** engine, which I'm thinking is in the 1958 range, but is in a 1961 car TS76***. I'm assuming the numbers are too far apart to be the original engine. I've never been into the performance upgrade thing, so I'm not familiar with much of the engine upgrades cause I don't really care. Thanks for any input. I did find some old paperwork in the car that seemed to indicated some extensive engine work done in the 1970's

 

[DNK]

Hollow rods do exist.
A lightening technique

 

[TR4nut]

I thought they were always hollow, but I might have that wrong.

 

[luke44]

Original push rods are solid steel. Hollow ones with steel ends are after market optional push rods for higher performance engines.

 

[TRTEL]

They are all hollow. If you take a look at the cut away views of the engines in the factory manuals you can see the design and get a feel for the wall thickness of the tubes. Triumph did start to issue a competition push rod sometime in the sixties about the time of the 4A coming on the scene. They were a chrome moly alloy with a blue black shiny finish and a real bargain at the time. They were manufactured with a shorter length suitable for the thinnest of heads (120-130 thousandths shaved off) in order to keep the geometry of the rocker arms and valve stems at stock angles, therefore avoiding having to shim the rocker pedestals. These rod tubes have a smaller outside diameter, but are thicker walled and are stronger overall. They might not work with a stock head, but I never tried.

 

[Kleykamp]

Interesting...I got both answers... so someone must have as foggy memory as me. But, the TRTEL answer seems to best describe what I have compared to what I remember seeing in prior instances. These are black and shiney rods with solid ends crimped in and they make a "dead tink" - rather than a "tiinggg" noise when bumped together. I noticed as soon as I pulled the first one out that it was much lighter than what I remembered. I'll be starting another thread on the additional issue I found...cracked block...but I'm wondering now, what set of issues this will present if I go with a short block. I had already bought a stock head gasket set. Will I be able to use that? What is the length of stock push rods??? I'm thinking I may be in over my head. That is why I don't particularly care for performance upgrades, but I may want to keep it if I have it.

 

[luke44]

They are all hollow....

I stand corrected. My comment was based on my Spitfire experience and I just assumed this was the same as for the TR3. I just took off the valve cover and checked mine - hollow as well.