3rdCoastPowerSports

iTrader: (5)

no bashing or telling me to use ductile iron or steel or any of that.

has anyone used plain (grey) cast iron piston rings in a rebuild (top and 2nd)? If so did the motor seal up nicely? how long did the rings last?

thanks

3rdCoastPowerSports

iTrader: (5)

no one has ever built ANY motor with plain cast iron rings? for real, i find that hard to believe since that's all that was made till the mid 60's

3rdCoastPowerSports

iTrader: (5)

maybe somebody today has used them?

S10xGN

iTrader: (11)

And there's prolly a reason (or two or three) those rings have been obsolete since the "mid 60's"...

3rdCoastPowerSports

iTrader: (5)

I guess we will see then. i think as long as i don't shoot nitrous at them they will be fine. but we will find out. if they don't last they don't last and i will rebuild the thing in 15,000 miles.

from the research i have done i concluded: on a mild performance street build (no nitrous) that as long as the bores are strait and true, the hone is done properly and the rings are properly installed then a ring set is a ring set

redtail2426

iTrader: (10)

why do you want to use cast iron rings?No one uses them for a reason,there are much better rings out there now.

SSCamaro99_3

iTrader: (1)

Heck, I am even more shocked that cast iron was used as ring material. Cast iron is not very ductile. Just spreading them to fit them onto the piston probably was not good for them.

BigRich954RR

iTrader: (1)

yea cast iron rings suck they rattle and break easy if knocked or lose the temper if over heated. not sure but i think they wear pretty fast and might wear down the bore of the engine more then normal

3rdCoastPowerSports

iTrader: (5)

BigRich what do you mean by the rings rattle?

3rdCoastPowerSports

iTrader: (5)

Also they still make a gang of cast (non ductile) piston rings, most are molly coated though

Vortec53

Sounds like a bad idea

BigRich954RR

iTrader: (1)

sorry i mean if you get Detonation or pinging the rings will rattle in the piston and are much more prone to breaking. fine for a low power engines but as timing and load goes up so does the change of small detonation

Thumper28

iTrader: (4)

I have the "how to rebuild gm ls series engines" book and they say "a typical set of high performance rings consist of plasma moly top rings and ductile iron 2nd rings."

SSCamaro99_3

iTrader: (1)

Cast and Ductile are very different.

3rdCoastPowerSports

iTrader: (5)

most performance sets are ductile top ring (coated or un coated). sometimes they have a ductile 2nd rings but often times they include a cast iron 2nd ring unless you specify otherwise. also plasma moly is just a coating not a type of ring. Although plasma moly is often used on ductile iron where as the other moly coating (cant think of the name right now) is used on cast iron rings

Thumper28

iTrader: (4)

I agree with you. Casting is a manufacturing process and ductile is a mechanical property however you can have ductile cast iron.

SSCamaro99_3

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I was making a bad assumption. The material is more important than the process.