A friend has just noticed that my connecting rods are installed backwards. The wrist pins bolt is not on the camshaft side of the engine which he says they should be. They came out of the engine the same way they are now installed, the pistons are marked FRONT and are facing front since these are not off set rods will this be a problem??
Nope
Martin, I'm running a test on them installed backwards in an engine and they work fine. Nothing to worry about.
IN THEORY, there is a slight difference in the side stresses due to directional rotation factors and the opposing forces of the different strokes of the engine. Over a hundred years ago, engineers calculated which side of the rod should be a continuous forging and which side should be clamped and bolted shut. All that being said, those side stresses are minimal. The model T rods are otherwise symmetrical and balanced. There is no significant difference between sides or front-to-back (unlike many non-Fords where the rod is offset front-to-back).
Besides, many years ago, I took apart a very high mileage model T engine that had all the rods in "backwards". I wouldn't worry about it.
Happy Holidays, and drive safe, W2