New Look

Hoisted the big fish box off the deck today and cleared some hydraulic lines. The deck is clear and the sheer looks terrific.

Connecting Rod

The small end of a connecting rod joins the piston pin and the larger diameter joins the throw of the crank shaft with a pressed steel bearing. The bearing is theoretically never in contact with the shaft, there is always a thin film of oil between. The subtle deep knocking I heard yesterday and hoped was just a heat shield was probably the bearing going. The much louder clacking and stalling of my truck this morning as I was just in sight of G.M. Allens Blueberry Factory was the rod breaking and smacking around in its cylinder. Amazingly the truck still starts.
From Wikipedia: The con rod is under tremendous stress from the reciprocating load represented by the piston, actually stretching and relaxing with every rotation, and the load increases rapidly with increasing engine speed. Failure of a connecting rod, usually called "throwing a rod" is one of the most common causes of catastrophic engine failure in cars, frequently putting the broken rod through the side of the crankcase and thereby rendering the engine irreparable.
My rod didn't break the crank case, which would have been cool, if oily. So, I'm not working on the Pike today and am car shopping.
Fortunately I have a terrific girlfriend that will give me a ride to Rockport tonight and my truck truly didn't owe me anything.