I am looking for somewhere to find new pistons for my 283 and can't find them in jegs, summit, or online.
ask the machine shop...they usually can get most any part for an engine at a reasonable price. As an added bonus they can also usually return them and exchange for the correct size if something goes wrong. Took me years to learn this lesson...
Not sure about just pistons, but you can get a kit or a rering at Northern. http://www.northernautoparts.com/ProductDetail.cfm?ProductId=280
Summit lists 15 different pistons for a 283. Click on the link below and it will take you directly to them. http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=4294925232+4294839001+4294908216+4294840117
I will secont the Northern suggestion, I have used them a couple of times, and once for a 283 rebuild, and their kits are great.
let me know what exactly you are looking for........flat top? dome?.....what oversize? i may be able to help you out Fred
My machine shop was able to get mine - they were falt top 12 bucks a piece. The auto parts stores - NOT ADVANCE or AUTOZONE can get what ever you need. The machine shop can tell ya what ya need after they inspect the bore and decide what work they are goin to do as far as the boring. Hone, bore, .030, .060?
Check with Ross pistons for forged or Egge for cast. I recommend forged. If Ross doesn't have them, they'll make them for you, at probably the same price. BTW, don't even think about hyperucrappedit pistons. I wouldn't put them in my lawn mower.
Hypereutectic pistons are very brittle. I've seen more that one motor where all 8 piston were shattered to pieces between the ring grooves, probably because of detonation. That would never happen with forged pistons. Other people have put up posts mentioning similar problems with hypereutectic pistons. I wouldn't use them even if they were free.
i have built a lot of engines with them...we have rattled a few under detonation...even put a few in engines that should have had forged ..i.e. nitrous...and one blown application.....i have had one failure and that was because i pushed the cylinder to wall issue......not the pistons fault..... i keep hearing about how brittle they are...but since i have started asking the people that are claiming it, i havent found one that has had it actually happen...they just heard about it happening.........i had lunch friday with a guy from california...he says he puts out about 5 to 7 thousand dollars a month in federal mogul product......and a lot of it is hyper pistons ...he hasnt had any reports of failure either...i am just trying to research it for my own behalf... i hang out on a couple of engine building message boards...and it has been brought up there before..and no one there has had a problem when they are used properly either........ thanks for your info Fred
Ever heard that detonation is a bad thing? It will destroy any kind of piston with time. Why not take the precautions to avoid it, it's not that hard. Of course if you think because a little timing is a good thing a whole lot more should be just right then you deserve what you get. Building AND operating engines is somwhat like handling explosives, do just certain things wrong and it will bite you in the ass (or blow it off). Hypereutectics were developed to provide certain benifits and if misapplied you lose. It's not the piston's fault. Frank
I know of several blown alcohol dragsters that use Hypereutectic pistons. Those are the only 1st hand experiences I've heard, from owners. I wouldn't think they would be selling very many if they were as bad as I have heard some say on this, and other boards. With the info I got from the dragsters, I'm planning on using them in my blown SBC. I'll let you know. Mutt
So denontation is a bad thing? I'll make a note of that. I don't think anyone plans on having a motor that runs like sh*t, but it happens some times. The pistons I was referring to (with the material between the rings busted to pieces) came out of a motor that put together by a local shop with a good reputation for building high end race engines. I know the guy still has the pistons, so if I get time, I'll take a picture and post it. I don't really care what anyone uses, but like I said, I wouldn't use them in one of my motors, even for free. BTW, I mentioned this to the KB folks when I was at the SEMA Show a couple of years ago, and they pretty much acknowledged that their pistons don't hold up well to detonation.
how do you think they compare with normal replacement cast pistons? I've only installed hypers in one engine, it knocked some when cold.
While the hypers are fine in a street engine, I can't imagine NOT using Ross pistons in any high dollar build, especially any power added engine (blower, nitrous ect.) Years age we were running a 317 chev in a 1/2 mile car. Second season on the bottom end. Had a problematic set of heads and some other issues. The car got so hot the sparkplugs were chery red and the heads were destroyed, didn't faze the Ross pistons. Our builder told us that the best TRW had would never have survived.
What I've come to understand about hyperutectic pistons is that they require a lot more ring end gap than a cast or forged piston. Broken ring lands are common because the rings are trying to sieze in the cylinder and pull the lands off. Common mistake is that no one reads the instructions and puts the engine together just the way they've always done it.
Been researching 283 pistons for awhile, still doing it. If you want to spend $500 you can get pistons that will give you some compression. I would use KB hypers if that was my only option. Bottom line is a cast piston is a cast piston. Detonation is gonna kill 'em faster than forged. If I gotta choose between spending $1K to get a forged piston, vs $500 for cast in a street motor, I'm spending $500 and making sure it doesn't detonate. Careful with the cast flat tops including all those in kits. I have not found one set that was not .020" short (or more) on compression height. Add that to newer head gaskets increased thickness and you end up with about 8-1 compression. An OK grocery getter, but not much performance potential. My 2 cents, Dan
No way....I'm sure he's still looking. HAMBers ALWAYS double-check the original post date....don't they?
FWIW, theres nothing wrong with KBs for street or street/strip engines. They're better than plain cast pistons but not as forgiving as forged pistons with a bad tune. The point is - detonation is destructive - to ANY piston. Get your tuning up to scratch and install them properly - most guys do not allow enough ring end gaps due to the piston material absorbing the chamber heat more easily and butt the top ring trashing the ring lands. In other words, builders who IGNORE the manufacturers recommendations because they "know" better. And run even MORE gap if spraying it or boosting it which creates even more heat. The amount of guys that have run these successfully in boosted applications are too many to mention - and we're talking seriously fast cars. Sure you can run a forged piston and install em loose - not exactly what you want for ring life in a street engine. KBs can be fit tighter to the bore. Nothing wrong with em if used correctly, esp in street engines. Sounds like most engine parts now don't it?
Like many things, including Rodney Dangerfield, I think the hyperutectic pistons don't get the respect they might due to a lot of misinformation. As mentioned, they require a different ring end gap and they also do not expand as much so they are run with tighter cylinder wall clearance. Properly installed, they are used in many circle track claimer style engines and get used hard. I'm not advocating them specifically, but like hydraulic clutches, if you pay attention to all of the details they work very well.
Two very well informed gentleman here, thank you both as you have saved me a lot of 1 finger typing! I can't stress enough how CRITICAL, piston-to-wall clearances are, as well as straightnes, taper, and out-of-roundness! Secondly are the PISTONS MANUFACTURERS recomendations for Ring End Gaps here folks. Yes it's true engine builders will and do exceed on ocassion the recommended end gaps based on conditions such as Nitrous use as well as Forced Induction, yes even with Hyper pistons. A often neglected additional aspect of Hyper pistons as well as ANY pistons, Forged, Cast, or Hyper, are the builders who just take the pistons out of the box, and run them, and that aspect is Pin-to-Piston clearance. This is a area where a couple of tenth's of a thousanth's can make or break a engine. Before using new pistons right out of the box, at the very LEAST bring them and the pins being used to the machinist and let him check for Pin to Piston clearance and for that matter, the small rod ends as well. What you don't check and verify WILL bite you, all the best!!
A $12 piston sure sounds tasty..... I never understand people who use 'take it to the machinist' approach. That's like saying if you have cancer, 'go see a doctor'. The point is, there are machinists and there are machinists...the average jamoke working in the average auto machine shop is hardly going to be able to measure a few tenths or even appreciate the importance of it. I'll bet in 90% of all engine rebuilds the machinist tosses the instructions and specs that came with the pistons and does it "the way he does all of 'em". And I'll bet most of those are done by feel, not a calibrated gauge. So if your machinist is Ray Barton, then by all means let him figure it out. If he's Roy Barton, you'd better do some due diligence all by yourself first.
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