I know this has been talked about somewhere and I'm sorry to bring it back up. YES I used the search feature, I've spent the last 2hrs back n forth and on google searching and just can't seem to find the info I need. Hope this is the right section for this:

I was looking for the info on 3s rods and how they fit with 5s pistons. Eventually I was leaning toward a 5sgte, so I have 3s rods, but seem to have developed a rod knock and I'm not ready for the build, so was wondering if I get the crank taken care of now could I get by with 3s rods and stock 5s pistons in my 5sfe?

I feel like this has been covered with info on the new stroke & compression numbers, but all I can seem to find is info on using the "ge" head. I'll be doing the work myself (minus machining) so this seems like the cheaper option for me atm. Thanks for any replies.

In case anybody ends up with the same question, after even more searching(this time on mr2oc) it seems this will work as there isnt much difference in length... I'm not sure about fitment of the piston as the 3s rod seems thicker at the top of the small end, guess I'll find out when I get there

They fit. I have 2 sets of 5s pistons (94 celica engine and 99 camry engine) and they both fit into the 3s rods. The difference in length is not noticeable by the human eye, but the 3s rods are shorter. The small end bore is the same, so either the 3s or 5s pins will fit into the 5s pistons.

Big end bore however needs to be machined as you already know. Only do it at a machine shop where they know what they're doing.

I don't know how much you'd trust this, but after searching for a long while I confirmed these numbers to be spot-on accurate.

http://www.xtremethings.com/Rod_Lengths.htm

Toyota
3SGTE:-------5.433" 2.007" 1.055" 0.866"
Toyota
5SFE:---------5.435" 2.166" 1.055" 0.866"

Length x Big End Bore x Big End Width x Pin Diameter

sounds like you can just turn the crank to accept the 3S rods and throw it all back together.. good luck