Replacings pistons/rods. DIY?
You guys are nuts..
Decking? Really? What do you do to your engines when removing stuff? throw wrenches at it? Drop the heads on the workbench with screws laying around? Better Plane the heads too even though you never nicked them removing them, never had a leak, never overheated, never anything... but Do it right! better get them surfaced.
There is no mention this guy track/drag races... back to the OP.
Decking? Really? What do you do to your engines when removing stuff? throw wrenches at it? Drop the heads on the workbench with screws laying around? Better Plane the heads too even though you never nicked them removing them, never had a leak, never overheated, never anything... but Do it right! better get them surfaced.
There is no mention this guy track/drag races... back to the OP.
I guess our Rottler SF7M and CWT crankshaft balancer are a waste.
Last edited by AES Racing; Jul 19, 2010 at 05:17 PM.
Being as though this is the forced induction section, it's safe to assume that he is going to be putting some boost to it. Mahle and Scat are garbage. Do it right once and have the piece of mind. Pull it, mark your caps, take it apart (crank and all), take it to a machine shop, get you some new main bearings, have the cylinder walls honed, get your pistons and rods balanced and have just the short block assembled with no covers, cam or anything. Should be no more than $500 to the machine shop and it will be a fresh rebuild with 0 miles on it. Set of off the shelf wisco pistons (they come with the rings and pins) and callies rods. Done.
Launching!
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 249
Likes: 0
From: cookeville, tn
Being as though this is the forced induction section, it's safe to assume that he is going to be putting some boost to it. Mahle and Scat are garbage. Do it right once and have the piece of mind. Pull it, mark your caps, take it apart (crank and all), take it to a machine shop, get you some new main bearings, have the cylinder walls honed, get your pistons and rods balanced and have just the short block assembled with no covers, cam or anything. Should be no more than $500 to the machine shop and it will be a fresh rebuild with 0 miles on it. Set of off the shelf wisco pistons (they come with the rings and pins) and callies rods. Done.
with good parts and comp under 10:1 motor will take 18 lb,s of boost and put a D/ shot of meth on it also. 
Staging Lane
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
From: Laporte
Im not to sure about this one but dont you have to let a shop put the pistons on anyways? pressing the pistons on is not the correct way i believe they heat up the rod and slid the pin in and it shrinks to a tight fit? you can press the old ones off but again not the right way to do it, if you can get the rods up to about 600 degrees lol the pins should just fall out? someone correct me if im wrong. but over all putting rods and pistons in the block and setting the rings an checking gaps is cake.
I'm mostly concerned with, people who want to install 3.898 pistons into a bore with 50k + miles on it, cross hatch wore out. Moly rings like a smooth finish but not a glazed bore, and possibly distorted bore. The rings will never seat
the engine will eat itself up with oil consumption, detonation and you're back where you started.
With forced induction we're always battling with pushing coolant, an uneven or rough deck surface would be a good start to fix, before you try boosting.
So the two half assed rebuilds that pushed coolant and burned oil, could've had one build performed correctly and made more power.
Last edited by AES Racing; Jul 19, 2010 at 08:08 PM.
Thread Starter
TECH Addict
iTrader: (16)
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,899
Likes: 0
From: Anchorage, ALASKA
Let me clarify some things. Im turboed and Im looking to push close to 15psi, probably not much more. My car has 45k miles on it and the last time I had my heads off(~500 miles ago) the crosshatch was still very evident. I dont mind pulling the pistons and rods and having a shop hone it but I dont want them to charge me out the *** for gapping rings and placing them in the block.
Im honestly thinking an lq4 would be a better option since it should be able to handle a bit more boost than my ls1 can, that should hold me over for while. Thanks for all the replies guys
Im honestly thinking an lq4 would be a better option since it should be able to handle a bit more boost than my ls1 can, that should hold me over for while. Thanks for all the replies guys
Harder springs? Where was this mentioned? Again, am I missing something here?
I agree.. if someone mentioned dual springs, I would agree double timing chain...
I guess all of these questions shoudl have come first. Stock setup, I would never suggest to change the timing chain. lets say Im FI, stock cam, stock 243's... im still not going to suggest a timing chain upgrade. If you think thats wrong direction, so be it.
I am correct with the honing. A super fine hone only, if any with moly rings.
I really dont see why this thread is so far off topic besides someone asking if he can change pistons and rods, turning into telling him its 3500 just for THOSE parts. maybe if its all supporting parts, but again, that was NOT mentioned. I will just read from now on, clearly assuming gets you attacked.
Yes.. you guys are all right. sorry to spread bad useless information.
Decking is a 'just to make sure' thing - oops.. sorry more bad info.
Last edited by vmapper; Jul 19, 2010 at 06:42 PM.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo Let me clarify some things. Im turboed and Im looking to push close to 15psi, probably not much more. My car has 45k miles on it and the last time I had my heads off(~500 miles ago) the crosshatch was still very evident. I dont mind pulling the pistons and rods and having a shop hone it but I dont want them to charge me out the *** for gapping rings and placing them in the block.
Im honestly thinking an lq4 would be a better option since it should be able to handle a bit more boost than my ls1 can, that should hold me over for while. Thanks for all the replies guys
Im honestly thinking an lq4 would be a better option since it should be able to handle a bit more boost than my ls1 can, that should hold me over for while. Thanks for all the replies guys
Go by AES Racing words
Thread Starter
TECH Addict
iTrader: (16)
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,899
Likes: 0
From: Anchorage, ALASKA
I already have a double roller, hardened pushrods and I have dual springs waiting to go in. Im looking to upgrade the cam to something bigger than stock, but nothing crazy.
I never said you were polluting?
I never said you were polluting?
Well, custom pistons? (why?) or do you mean just a certain bore... again.. price rarely changes based on Bore. No the reliefs had enlarged duew to larger valves
Coated Skirts? They all come like that NOT all of the them
Wrist Pins? again.. will Always come with pistons. yeah they can with the piston
Plasma Moly Rings.. most are and not much more than normally provided if that is case. they were a custom order thickness thur diamond which delayed my shipping, then I think the total seal was normal
Rod bearings Size doesnt change price. you Choose your + or -
ARP Bolts As I said, thats Included 2000 ARP.
You spent a ton of money and really tried hard to make it sound special, good work, epic fail though.
Again.. even though no one will agree with what else I say, they will agree 3500 for PARTS you list alone is nuts.
You get what you pay for
If you want to be embarrassed, list your PNs Ill call my local parts distributor here and list the prices.
Coated Skirts? They all come like that NOT all of the them
Wrist Pins? again.. will Always come with pistons. yeah they can with the piston
Plasma Moly Rings.. most are and not much more than normally provided if that is case. they were a custom order thickness thur diamond which delayed my shipping, then I think the total seal was normal
Rod bearings Size doesnt change price. you Choose your + or -
ARP Bolts As I said, thats Included 2000 ARP.
You spent a ton of money and really tried hard to make it sound special, good work, epic fail though.
Again.. even though no one will agree with what else I say, they will agree 3500 for PARTS you list alone is nuts.
You get what you pay for
If you want to be embarrassed, list your PNs Ill call my local parts distributor here and list the prices.
See bold statement then you have to pay the machine shop to rebalance all the rotating assembly, cause the comanies have a certain tolerances and they are big if actually measure them. We go for 0grms differeance in all of my roating assembly. So after all that in parts for a smooth as butter parts then it is worth it
See bold statement then you have to pay the machine shop to rebalance all the rotating assembly, cause the comanies have a certain tolerances and they are big if actually measure them. We go for 0grms differeance in all of my roating assembly. So after all that in parts for a smooth as butter parts then it is worth it
"
My parts were right around the 3500 bucks. Rings, Pistons, Rods, Bearing, and all the gaskets"
I agree, companies have a tolerance that can be reduced.
Cause I know for a fact my factory cross hatchings were still in perfect condition when I did my H/C install with 103k miles on my motor.
If factory cross hatchings are gone by 50k miles something is goin on with that particular engine as thats not typical wear for a properly maintain & running LS engine.
reading this thread reminds me of an experience i had years ago. i was driving my 1989 IROC through west Texas and for some reason my motor decided to **** #5 piston. no abnormal driving or crazy abuse. it just let go. we pulled into a Hotel and using VatoZone piston and pressing the pin with a homo jack and the bottom of my car we just dropped a new piston/rod onto the crank and torqued it all down. threw the heads and intake back on and drove it back home to North East Texas. i drove that car for 4 more years after that and probably put 50k on it and never had a single problem with it. no smoke, blowby, or anything. hell i even did a compression test and it checked at the bottom of the passing limit. Is it possible? Hell yes i know it is. Would i do it again? after almost getting melanoma and dying from heat stroke in the 108 degree Texas heat the hard (and that was the easy part) that's alot of work for a halfass'd motor build. especially if you are going high horsepower FI. I'd say get a 5.3 and let her rip
