How much horsepower can the stock rods from a '69 400 take? I already have had my stock rods reconditioned but now right before I am putting the motor back together I am concerned about the strength of the stock rods. Is it worth it to get a set of forged rods if the car will be for performance use?

1st off, it sounds like you could use a copy of Jim Hands new book, How to get Max Power out of a Pontiac V-8's. I highly recommend it.

From the book, it's max RPM that is the limitation on stock rods. If you don't plan on constantly spinning your 400 motor over 5800 RPM, the stock rods should be fine. Jim Hand reports no rod failures on over 2,000 drag strip runs as long as he has not exceeded the limits Pontiac designed the stock rods for.

So, if you engine combo is going to peak out over 5,800 - get aftermarket rods.