Whisper

iTrader: (12)

So in mid November I have my car scheduled for a head and cam swap to some MMS 220 heads and Mamo specced cam.

On down the road, as another 'stage' of this build, I've planned on spraying this motor with small shots (75). But since I'm also interested in making a bulletproof engine, I'm thinking of putting forged pistons in the motor just for even more peace of mind. But I don't know what all costs are involved with doing a piston swap. Is pulling and machining the block an absolute must? Or just a very good idea? If having the block machined, what does that run in cost on average? How many labor hours am I looking at to have new rings/pistons installed?

Basically, I'm trying to find if its feasible cost and timewise to get forged pistons in the motor with my upcoming appointment or if this is something I need to research and just schedule on down the road.

svede1212

iTrader: (3)

If you're having someone do it it is going to cost a lot. It costs quite a lot just in parts. Rods, pistons, bolts and rings are $1,000-$1,500 and up. Should get new bearings and light hone the cylinders and clean the block as well as have the deck checked for flatness. I'll guess $5,000ish extra.

JakeFusion

iTrader: (7)

I don't know if $5K is right... forged rods/pistons can run about $1400+bearings+balancing. So you may see 1800-2000 there. Then you need to figure in another 800-1000 for the machine work and shortblock assembly and turning of the stock crank. I think you could build a forged shortblock reusing your block and crank for probably 2800-3000.

redtan

iTrader: (5)

It's kinda hard to put in new pistons with the block still in the car.

And if you have it out it's a good idea to get the machine work done. However if the bores look good and they make forged pistons that fit nicely in the OEM bore then there's no need for any work. Most machine work is done to ensure that the new pistons fit nicely into the bores with the proper PTW clearance. And since most aftermarket pistons come in sizes slightly bigger than stock it's a good idea to at least hone.

svede1212

iTrader: (3)

I didn't itemize but my guess was with parts, machining and assembly. I'd hate to itemize all the "little" stuff on a rebuild. Gaskets, bolts, fluids and what-nots add up to a lot more than one thinks.

kinglt-1

iTrader: (26)

you do not a forged bottom end for your goals...stock bottom end will hold up for a long time with a HCI 75 shot setup.

Yes you will need to remove the engine for a piston swap. I would say 3k to do it right depending on parts used. I would put a good set of rods/bolts while it's apart aside from forged pistons. It will need honed and balanced, new bearings is a good idea too. Basically do a full rebuild if your going to tear into it.

sillysspeed

iTrader: (21)

If you have a bunch of miles on your engine it's not a bad idea to get new bearings,piston rings and arp main bolts along with a nice hone to make sure the bore is perfect round. Forged pistons, rods and good rod bolts then you can spin the engine up to let those MMS heads n cam make big power and low et's. Where are you at? Maybe someone could recommend a good engine builder for you

SoonerBrad88

iTrader: (15)

I put Male pistons, scat rods and a polished stock crank in my motor when it dropped a valve. I pulled the motor and took the short block and all my parts to a machine shop.
New the parts were 700 for pistons, 300 for the rods and some where around 150 is what new cam and main bearing ran me. I found a guy selling the crank, rods & pistons for $900. I can't speak for shops I'm your area but the guy I took mine to charged me $625 for:
Cylinders honed for 3.905 pistons
Clean the block
Mill my heads .030"
File fit my rings for a 250 shot
Install new cam and main bearing (cost of bearings included)
Assemble short block

I wouldn't bother changing the pistons and rods for just a 75 hit. If I hadn't of got such a good deal on the rotating assy I would have put a stroker kit in.

Kingc8r

iTrader: (21)

I was quoted $4,800 here in the bay and thats using my stock block and crank

Exidous

iTrader: (11)

Is that with the motor in the car and they do ALL the work? That's pretty darn high.

redtan

iTrader: (5)

That's insane. You can get a brand new stroker shortblock for that kind of price...then you can sell your original stuff and come out cheaper.

Plenty of better options out there.

nj02z

iTrader: (6)

I inquired about this and was told not to waste my money doing this to a LS1 to find a 6.0 and start with that.

Kingc8r

iTrader: (21)

Nope I thought the same thing lol

I agree, which made me think of different options. Hell you can get a badass stroker from ERL for that price....but then you have to buy heads and etc. But I'd be doing HCI anyways so it's a wash...