Those are right on the edge of being too long. But at least the elevator pushrod is pulling for the "up" direction. If it were pushing, you might not be able to pull out of a dive (keep that in mind in case you ever want to pull out of a dive inverted)

You might consider switching to 4-40 rod - OR - you can lay a 5" piece of dowel next to each rod and wrap it to the pushrod with thread and glue.