Quote:
Originally Posted by SkunkLookingCar
Congrats on getting the engine together. What alloy are the pistons. 15psi might be a bit high for 4032 (ask enkivette) but 2618 will be able to handle the cylinder pressure. The valve reliefs look like they get pretty close to the edge of the piston which can be a stress riser. The thermal coating will help quite a bit though. The coating slows the annealing process that happens to all aluminum pistons when the temperture rises. Microhardness surveys of used pistons show the area of the piston where the valve reliefs come to the edge are the first areas to soften and the coating will keep the heat out of the metal keeping the piston stronger, longer. I agree with 94cobra69ss396 statement about the compression ratio and his suggested solutions.
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Thanks. They are 2618 aluminum alloy. I had the coatings done after-the-fact since I bought the pistons NIB from someone and saved $300 over MSRP, so I took that savings and put the $300 towards coatings from Embee Performance. Not the most well known coating facility, but they are the largest local aerospace coatings company that caters to racing teams. Apparently they do the coatings for Ross and some other piston manufacturers.
This thread is a good read when it comes to forged engine longevity:
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/advanc...ged-motor.html
Maybe not the best piston choice for my power level, but I care more about them not cracking than slow oil consumption increases (unless it gets BAD...).
I am not capable of assembling/balancing a SHORTblock on my own, so I just bought all the parts necessary (except for the main studs) and had JMS Racing Engines (a shop in El Monte) purchase the main studs & do the line hone/balance/assembly the shortblock. My friends and I reassembled it from the head studs up.