Sounds like a plan I could follow also.
Captainkirk's Duster project
- Thread starter Captainkirk
- Start date
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Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Thanks! Weather is not so much snow now, but sub-zero temps (again). But even weather won't slow down this motivation...I am STOKED!
67 prostreet gt
Well-Known Member
keep it up sir
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
I will. And I will let you know on the paint, thanks!
67 prostreet gt
Well-Known Member
No problem
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Bummersville. I hied myself out to the garage and grabbed my pistons and rods, knowing that for the bottom end to start going together, this would have to be tackled early on. And since they are small and unobtrusive (unlike an engine block) I figured I could smuggle 'em into the shop and check them out. Which I did. And paid an unscheduled trip to Bummersville....
These things have been sitting out in the unheated garage since, well...for a long time, 'k?
Longer than I remembered, I guess...by the condition.
Rust. Lots of rust. Ugh....
The pistons themselves aren't so bad; nothing that can't be cleaned up, I guess...
The rods....pretty fugly. I hope they will clean up. Not worried about the rod bolts as new ARP bolts will be going in
A little worried about this piston pin, but it is in the piston boss area and not the rod end...
As I mentioned, the pistons themselves appear to be cleaning up OK...
A shot of the TRW P/N....L-2322 (STD bore)
*sigh* Nothing is ever as easy as we think it will be...is it? I haven't looked at the block or crank lately, but at least they are in the basement (famous last words, yeah...). I can't believe how many years keep dragging on....which is why I'm having to get this thing in high gear.
I feel like such an idiot, but, well...**** happens.
These things have been sitting out in the unheated garage since, well...for a long time, 'k?
Longer than I remembered, I guess...by the condition.
Rust. Lots of rust. Ugh....
The pistons themselves aren't so bad; nothing that can't be cleaned up, I guess...
The rods....pretty fugly. I hope they will clean up. Not worried about the rod bolts as new ARP bolts will be going in
A little worried about this piston pin, but it is in the piston boss area and not the rod end...
As I mentioned, the pistons themselves appear to be cleaning up OK...
A shot of the TRW P/N....L-2322 (STD bore)
*sigh* Nothing is ever as easy as we think it will be...is it? I haven't looked at the block or crank lately, but at least they are in the basement (famous last words, yeah...). I can't believe how many years keep dragging on....which is why I'm having to get this thing in high gear.
I feel like such an idiot, but, well...**** happens.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Ruh Roh. Might be trouble in River City, as Dad used to say...
After cleaning up the first piston dome to the luster of a somewhat dusty jewel, I moved on to the second. All was well until I got the major nasties off and saw this:
...which at first viewing, appeared to be a crack (gakk!) and then, after I calmed down some, possibly a forging flaw....but after some study by this unpracticed eye, now appears to be a line of craters probably caused by pre-ignition (detonation). A 'fault line', for all you Cali guys....if you get my drift.
Question is, is it safe to use?
Good question.
And one I will probably have to refer to Tony, my engine machining guy.
This could be a game-changer, folks. Stay tuned.
After cleaning up the first piston dome to the luster of a somewhat dusty jewel, I moved on to the second. All was well until I got the major nasties off and saw this:
...which at first viewing, appeared to be a crack (gakk!) and then, after I calmed down some, possibly a forging flaw....but after some study by this unpracticed eye, now appears to be a line of craters probably caused by pre-ignition (detonation). A 'fault line', for all you Cali guys....if you get my drift.
Question is, is it safe to use?
Good question.
And one I will probably have to refer to Tony, my engine machining guy.
This could be a game-changer, folks. Stay tuned.
NodakDuster
Well-Known Member
Looks like a cast mark to me.
Norway-dart
Well-Known Member
Any spesial reason you use those old forgings? If we dont care about money i bet you free up some horses with a newer design piston....
The "crack" looks like a casting issue to mee...
You may fill it back up with soot to cover it, or take the dremel and try to dig into it a little?
Maybe even heat on it with a torch(?) To see if there is any oil in the crack that would boil
The "crack" looks like a casting issue to mee...
You may fill it back up with soot to cover it, or take the dremel and try to dig into it a little?
Maybe even heat on it with a torch(?) To see if there is any oil in the crack that would boil
67 prostreet gt
Well-Known Member
Are those the Mr. norm Hi Compression Pistons???
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Yup.
TRW L-2322's...rough-cast 13:1, 12.5:1 with normal 340 chambers. Mine were cc'd open to give it a more "reasonable" 11.5:1 back in the day. I'm thinking I may have to shave a point (or more) off that to run on today's pump gas.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Yes. Because they are paid for.
Besides, they make my ears ring...
The more I think on it, the more I think that has been there...a while.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
More pictures of the 'Train Wreck'...
67 prostreet gt
Well-Known Member
so other then $$$$ reasons why are you running these pistons instead of getting new pistons? don't you have to worry about them aging to the point that they can become brittle?
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
1) From what I understand, these are no longer in production.
Remember, the 'J' heads I'm planning on using have been cc'd to drop compression about a point-point & 1/2, so if I were to use these heads with say, KB 10:1 pistons, my CR would drop down to 9:1
2) I would be seriously worried about age if these weren't forged pistons.
3) I won't mind spending the $$ if I absolutely have to, but don't want to necessarily spend an extra $400.00 if I don't have to.
4) I have read some not-so-good reports on the KB Hypereutectics breaking. Don't know the details, but makes me a little wary.
Norway-dart
Well-Known Member
How is the weight? Are they close to std? Or did you balance the thing back in the days? 
There were a good piston guide in one of the latest mopar muscle magz, discribing the weak thing with hyperaut. Pistons. Anybody? Or do I have to visit the pipermine?
There were a good piston guide in one of the latest mopar muscle magz, discribing the weak thing with hyperaut. Pistons. Anybody? Or do I have to visit the pipermine?
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
How is the weight? Are they close to std? Or did you balance the thing back in the days?
There were a good piston guide in one of the latest mopar muscle magz, discribing the weak thing with hyperaut. Pistons. Anybody? Or do I have to visit the pipermine?
It was balanced both 'back in the day' and with the forged crank after the last machine shop session. Should be good to go!
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Well, thanks to you forum guys giving me some great advice (and a boot in the ***...thanks, Rusty!) I decided to see if this piston was junk, or if it was all in my head. I'm happy to say it's working out just fine, thank you very much!
I chucked said piston in a vise (between two cardboard cushions, of course!) and having it cinched down as such, dragged out the grinder with a fine grit RoLoc disc....
Close-up of the, ummm...implement
Throwing caution to the wind, I turned the disk on edge and started 'hogging out' out the suspect area across the crown and down the valve relief cutout...
....and then tapered the edge of the cutout to blend it...
....followed up by a trip to the deep-sink with some running water and 220 wet-or-dry to smooth the tooling marks...
....and finally, a hit with the polishing wheel.
As you can see in this final photo, there is still a hint of the flaw on the face of the valve relief....
...but not any more! I stopped taking pictures at this point, but hit the pocket again until the like is virtually invisible. Then I went to work on the other valve pocket and dome. If not for the craters, this thing would look like a new piston dome! I will show you some pictures when I'm finished.
Suffice it to say I'm extremely pleased! There was, and is, PLENTY of meat on these domes.
I'm not done yet, and still have 7 other pistons to clean and polish yet...who knows what might turn up on those?
But for a quick half-hour's work, I think it came out pretty nice.....
Crack? What crack?:cheers:
I chucked said piston in a vise (between two cardboard cushions, of course!) and having it cinched down as such, dragged out the grinder with a fine grit RoLoc disc....
Close-up of the, ummm...implement
Throwing caution to the wind, I turned the disk on edge and started 'hogging out' out the suspect area across the crown and down the valve relief cutout...
....and then tapered the edge of the cutout to blend it...
....followed up by a trip to the deep-sink with some running water and 220 wet-or-dry to smooth the tooling marks...
....and finally, a hit with the polishing wheel.
As you can see in this final photo, there is still a hint of the flaw on the face of the valve relief....
...but not any more! I stopped taking pictures at this point, but hit the pocket again until the like is virtually invisible. Then I went to work on the other valve pocket and dome. If not for the craters, this thing would look like a new piston dome! I will show you some pictures when I'm finished.
Suffice it to say I'm extremely pleased! There was, and is, PLENTY of meat on these domes.
I'm not done yet, and still have 7 other pistons to clean and polish yet...who knows what might turn up on those?
But for a quick half-hour's work, I think it came out pretty nice.....
Crack? What crack?:cheers:
dusterman79
Active Member
Lol, yep we're related for sure. That's about the same route I would have ended up going, though I might have tried Magna Fluxing it first. I know the "Oh ****" feeling very well. Hope the rest come out the same.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Can't magnaflux aluminum, Goose.
I would have had to ZyGlo it...no point now. It's gone!:burnout:
Norway-dart
Well-Known Member
Good feeling turned out better than new!
turned out better than new!
NC Engine Builder
Grumpy Old Man
- Joined
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With the garbage they sell as gasoline now days, you need to be reducing the compression to a lower level IMO, no way in the world I would run a dome piston and a open chamber head.
dusterman79
Active Member
Uh huh dad lol, you know darn well what I was meaning to say. Spot-Check
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Why not, if the compression is dropped to a suitable level?
Wouldn't a closed-chamber head have a higher CR?
I'm thinking I can get this combo down into the 10:1 range...even if it means shaving the domes.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Yep, I knew. Just testing you.
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