Some of you guys know I've been "collecting" standard bore forged pistons for about a year now. Thanks to Denny Ford and Phil Reed, a few Ebay scores and some local swap meets, I've now got a gaggle of 'em to go through and evaluate.
I noted that some of the pistons have "ring land" issues, and some buddies told me of a shop in town that had some solutions for that top ring (trim and shim). I hadn't ever been to that shop, but the Proprietor is an older guy (like many of us!) and is well respected around town. I thought I'd stop by and check things out.
OK, I'm in the middle of a nut and bolt, frame-off redo of a car, and I'm wayyyyy behind schedule (only over budget by a small magnitude
) and I'm about 80-plus percent complete, so what am I doing fooling around with pistons, you ask? Well, I ran into some parts problems in assembling the interior pieces, and had to order some unbelievably insignificant pieces (those bezels that go around your door locks) before I put the side panels on. Thanks to Brad at Phil Reed's for having them on the shelf just 120 miles away!
So I had some time during the day yesterday, scheduled to work on the SS, and I detoured over to this shop on the Business Loop to show him my pistons (how's that for a line?).
I enter the shop and there's a couple of fellas picking up parts for a SBC performance build. They spot the pistons and asked "if I was working on a lawnmower?" . Funny how those big 4 and 5/16" slugs attact attention, eh? They knew they were 409 pistons, too! In fact, the one guy immediately said "W?", and asked if it was a 348 or a 409!!! After doing business with the owner, the two guys leave, wish me good luck on the project, and I introduce myself and my pistons to the owner, named Elson.
Elson holds one of the pistons up for a minute, eyeballs the surfaces and ring lands, measures the piece then gaps the lands. Not a word is spoken. He is fixed on the pistons. Then he turns to me and says "I'll be right back" and heads off to the back of his shop.
He's there for maybe 3-4-5 minutes and I'm looking around his shop noticing some pretty old stuff on the shelves and racks.... I don't know about you, but I really enjoy being in places like that, it really takes you back to a time when ppeople were fair, trustworthy, and did stuff for others because they could and would. Upon Elson's return from the depths of his shop he sets a box down, and inside it are five (5) NOS standard bore 409 pistons!!! Three of one kind and two of the other (in terms of reliefs for the valves). Nice!!!
They have never been used, been sitting on a shelf for years. The place had a fire, and these were in that fire. Pretty clean (not burnt up), but no boxes and the pins have some "shelf oxidation" after so many years. Need to be careful in extracting them.
NOS is very different from "NIB" (new in box), as effort is generally required to make them as they once were... These are those "377" high compression pistons made for GM by TRW (I think it was TRW).
Here's a pic of those five pistons:
Enjoy!
TomK
I noted that some of the pistons have "ring land" issues, and some buddies told me of a shop in town that had some solutions for that top ring (trim and shim). I hadn't ever been to that shop, but the Proprietor is an older guy (like many of us!) and is well respected around town. I thought I'd stop by and check things out.
OK, I'm in the middle of a nut and bolt, frame-off redo of a car, and I'm wayyyyy behind schedule (only over budget by a small magnitude
) and I'm about 80-plus percent complete, so what am I doing fooling around with pistons, you ask? Well, I ran into some parts problems in assembling the interior pieces, and had to order some unbelievably insignificant pieces (those bezels that go around your door locks) before I put the side panels on. Thanks to Brad at Phil Reed's for having them on the shelf just 120 miles away!So I had some time during the day yesterday, scheduled to work on the SS, and I detoured over to this shop on the Business Loop to show him my pistons (how's that for a line?).
I enter the shop and there's a couple of fellas picking up parts for a SBC performance build. They spot the pistons and asked "if I was working on a lawnmower?"
. Funny how those big 4 and 5/16" slugs attact attention, eh? They knew they were 409 pistons, too! In fact, the one guy immediately said "W?", and asked if it was a 348 or a 409!!! After doing business with the owner, the two guys leave, wish me good luck on the project, and I introduce myself and my pistons to the owner, named Elson. Elson holds one of the pistons up for a minute, eyeballs the surfaces and ring lands, measures the piece then gaps the lands. Not a word is spoken. He is fixed on the pistons. Then he turns to me and says "I'll be right back" and heads off to the back of his shop.
He's there for maybe 3-4-5 minutes and I'm looking around his shop noticing some pretty old stuff on the shelves and racks.... I don't know about you, but I really enjoy being in places like that, it really takes you back to a time when ppeople were fair, trustworthy, and did stuff for others because they could and would. Upon Elson's return from the depths of his shop he sets a box down, and inside it are five (5) NOS standard bore 409 pistons!!! Three of one kind and two of the other (in terms of reliefs for the valves). Nice!!!
They have never been used, been sitting on a shelf for years. The place had a fire, and these were in that fire. Pretty clean (not burnt up), but no boxes and the pins have some "shelf oxidation" after so many years. Need to be careful in extracting them.
NOS is very different from "NIB" (new in box), as effort is generally required to make them as they once were... These are those "377" high compression pistons made for GM by TRW (I think it was TRW).
Here's a pic of those five pistons:
Enjoy!
TomK
