rebuilders choice cast pistons, elgin lifters

[409hotrod49merc]

Hey guys, whenI came across my 409 truck engine , and after the initial teardown and inspection, and being my first w motor, other than my 348 in a 60 impala, when I was a young guy, and not smart enough to hang on to it....I didn't do a lot research on my parts, didn't even know about the 348/409 forum. as a result I ordered my kit from Falcon Global, most of the pars I was familiar with other than the rebuilders choice cast pistons, which were molly coated on the skirts. Is anyone familiar with these ???
The best I could find out is that they are associated with Packard, out of N.J.... My machinist kind of compared them to the "always save" brand at the grocery store, but said, they he thought they would be fine for around a 340 h.p. build....but, as I read more about the Elgin parts, I might have to crawfish on the lifters they sent... any suggestions??? Thanks, Steve

 

[Don Jacks]

Steve,Welcome to the forum.If I may offer an opinion,If your building it back to around 350-375 hp,and it never goes above 5000 rpm,these pistons will serve you pretty well.Please remember that there arent very many suppliers of cast,much less coated skirt pistons made for these engines.If your going to put a fairly healthy cam,big valve heads,and shift around 6000 rpm,forget cast pistons,period,you'll just wind up hateing life when the engine breaks,and it will.As to the Elgin lifters,I've personally.not seen any problems with them in a stock,low valve spring pressure application.I dont know if I'd trust them on a modern designed cam.What I'm trying to say here is that it's going to depend on your intended use.If you want or need help or just advice,you can rest assured that youre in the right place.