Project Cheap & Nasty Updated With Back Story

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MadScientistMat said:
Having Oregon Cams regrind one of your cores might be cheaper - just saying.:lol:
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A tic over 200 including shippin both ways.

Well, I ran into a small setback. A couple or three of these pistons are cracked. So, I had a whole nuther set of pistons and rods. Problem solved, right? Naw. Not quite that easy. THe rods are for a cast crank engine and a lot narrower. LOL So I'll swap a few over.
 
Hey I (only have) 3 of the same 60 over P part pistons that someone recently had for sale on here ...
 
I got the three cracked ones pressed off and the three good ones pressed off and didn't break one. Lettin the rods soak in vinegar cause they had some rust on um. Hopefully I won't break a good one going back on. lol
 
Got the three "good" pistons pressed on with no trouble. Yay me.
 
Well, I didn't like how the "other three" still were. They were really tight at the wristpins because of all the rust, so I pressed the other three "good ones" off the cast crank rods and on the forged rods. Now I have a matching set of good pistons and they all swivel on the wrispins like they should. More trouble than it's worth. LOL
 
Here are cheap & nasty's pistons and rods. They actually turned out pretty good. The rods had some pretty heavy surface rust. What do they call that? Oh yeah, seasoned. lol I still remember the stories traded around about the early NASCAR teams burying blocks in wet ground to get them to rust so they'd be "seasoned" and stronger. Myth? Truth? Crap if I know.....it sounds goods, though. LOL
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I have read of racers leaving a newly cast block outside for several years to "season it", which means let the metal relax to reach final dimensions before machining. I'd say that was similar to how glass flows over time, since that supposedly explained why window glass in old buildings was thicker at the bottom, but read not-true and just how glass was made in olden days. I think the rust was just an artifact of sitting outside, or at least in a non-conditioned place which gets nightly condensation. Cast-iron is high carbon, which limits rusting to just the surface. It doesn't flake apart like rusting steel, except by saltwater.

Just because racers did it, doesn't mean it was scientifically proven, especially since they keep secrets and copy each other, even if each trick isn't validated. Many tricks start from one-off stories. A foundry which makes cast-iron parts would likely have more history and know the best.
 
I've never pressed pistons before, that's always been a "let the machine shop do" kind of thing. I remember seeing it in several years worth of FSM's where there was a special fixture needed to do that. I do have a 12 ton press in my garage here but no fixture.
The last 360 magnum I did, I had to have bored so they had to replace the pistons and I remember returning to the machine shop with one piston/rod because they had it backwards, for the tab side of the rod and cap to face the right way, the notch on the piston would have faced back not forward.
I also know they have an induction heater to heat the small end of the rod to expand them so they can basically drop the pin into place. I don't have that either.
So how do you press pins without the right equipment?
 
BillGrissom said:
I have read of racers leaving a newly cast block outside for several years to "season it", which means let the metal relax to reach final dimensions before machining. I'd say that was similar to how glass flows over time, since that supposedly explained why window glass in old buildings was thicker at the bottom, but read not-true and just how glass was made in olden days. I think the rust was just an artifact of sitting outside, or at least in a non-conditioned place which gets nightly condensation. Cast-iron is high carbon, which limits rusting to just the surface. It doesn't flake apart like rusting steel, except by saltwater.

Just because racers did it, doesn't mean it was scientifically proven, especially since they keep secrets and copy each other, even if each trick isn't validated. Many tricks start from one-off stories. A foundry which makes cast-iron parts would likely have more history and know the best.
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I wasn't really lookin for "that" discussion. I was just throwin it out there because I've heard it all my life.
 
volaredon said:
I've never pressed pistons before, that's always been a "let the machine shop do" kind of thing. I remember seeing it in several years worth of FSM's where there was a special fixture needed to do that. I do have a 12 ton press in my garage here but no fixture.
The last 360 magnum I did, I had to have bored so they had to replace the pistons and I remember returning to the machine shop with one piston/rod because they had it backwards, for the tab side of the rod and cap to face the right way, the notch on the piston would have faced back not forward.
I also know they have an induction heater to heat the small end of the rod to expand them so they can basically drop the pin into place. I don't have that either.
So how do you press pins without the right equipment?
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Who says what's "right" and what's "wrong"?
 
Wasn't questioning that so much as asking how to do that job without the "right" tools
 
Hopefully he'll reveal that as I have another engine build in my head and it would require swapping pistons.
 
volaredon said:
Wasn't questioning that so much as asking how to do that job without the "right" tools
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Depends on how the piston's made. Some need piston pin arbors and some don't. These don't. Their skirt will support the piston just fine as long as you're careful and watch what you're doin. I've pressed so many off and on like this I've lost count. Most American stuff has enough skirt material to do it.
 
Here's how I press pistons at home. So far, I've never broken or damaged a piston doing it this way. That's not to say it'll never happen. lol If you have a press, you can duplicate this right at home.
 
Here's what all the lifters looked like. I cleaned them off bout the best I could. They are grody. Hopefully @replicaracer43 Sean can do something with um.
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So I picked out a decent lookin set of rockers and hold downs and bolts and have "all that" soakin in purple stuff. Found the best rocker shaft I have and cleaned it all up. My ridge reamer will be here this week. My OLD one finally crossed the rainbow bridge and was met with a long two pointer into the trash can. It served it's purpose well, but was probably a 1940s model and the cutters were just so worn. I've sharpened it so many times, there was just nuthin left, so it's time to go.
 
Got me a good set of manifold studs cleaned up and screwed into the head. My rockers and hardware are still cookin in purple stuff. I'll get them out in the mornin. I'm gonna get some rest.
 
So, Cheap & Nasty moves forward, however slowly. Got the manifold studs in the head, sealed with Permatex #2, so yall can argue about it. Got my rockers, shaft and hardware all cleaned up and sprayed down with Fluid Film. If you've not used Fluid Film yet, I highly recommend it.
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