Kieth Black 944's or Ross's custom pistons?

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Scotty B
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Kieth Black 944's or Ross's custom pistons?

Post by Scotty B »

Hello everyone. First post so bear with me. I've done tons of chevy and ford engine work, but this is my first Jeep 4.0 stroker build. Basic question.... I have the 12 ct 4.2 crank getting machined right now and plan on using the longer 4.0 rods as they are low mileage and good condition. If I get the KB 944's, will I have to deck the block .020 to .035 to get the "holy grail" head gasket quench height? or would it be better to get a custom set of Ross Pottenger pistons and not touch the deck height? I'm gonna run a longer duration cam, to bring the compression down, but would like to aim for 87-89 pump gas. Thank you everyone for the help. :cheers:
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Re: Kieth Black 944's or Ross's custom pistons?

Post by Cheromaniac »

Use Russ' pistons. Not only do they cost the same or slightly less than the KB944s, they also have the correct pin height to run a tight quench height of 0.035-0.040" without the expense of milling the block deck. You can specify the dish volume you want to achieve the desired static compression ratio.
Which head and cam are you planning to use, and what type of use will your stroker be put through?
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Russ Pottenger
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Re: Kieth Black 944's or Ross's custom pistons?

Post by Russ Pottenger »

Hi Scott,

I have a full line of 4.6 and 4.7 pistons on the shelf with piston dishes in multiple volumes making it much easier to get to your desired static compression ratio.

I also have a fully profiled bushed steel connecting rod that is reasonably priced to offset the cost of rebuilding your cast 4.0 rods. By the time you have your machine shop rebuild your stock rods with replacement 11/32 ARP bolts, check the end to end balance, and to install them on a press fit .931 factory pin diameter piston without risk of damage, you’ll be pretty close to the cost of my bushed rods that you could easily assemble yourself utilizing my upgraded .927 Chevy pin rod/piston combo.

Feel free to drop me an email or call I’d be happy to send you out some information and pricing on this or any of my stroker kits and components and answer any questions you might have.

Thanks,
Russ Pottenger
Bishop-Buehl Racing Engines
531 N. Lyall Avenue
West Covina, California 91790
Work (626) 967-1000
Cell (626) 673-2203
Email: [email protected]
Scotty B
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Joined: February 23rd, 2020, 6:14 pm
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Re: Kieth Black 944's or Ross's custom pistons?

Post by Scotty B »

Thank you for the responses. My plan for this Jeep is just to make a solid summer daily driver and go to the beach and basic trails. No crazy rock crawling. I had planned on buying the custom ground cam that retains the stock valves from Russ (sorry for the name typo, I was a few beers in🤪) I am most likely going to buy the pistons too, as not having to deck the block and find custom pushrods makes sense. As for the rods, they are low mileage so I was debating whether to just throw the new pistons on and replace the bushings. Not sure how much the machinists would charge, but I am starting to see that the cost of the new parts are fairly well offset by less machinist bills. Buying the pistons, rods and cam is just gonna be a rough sticker shock being on a single navy income 🤦🏻‍♂️ I’ll have to email Mr. Pottenger and get the price broken down. Thank you for the help. This is gonna be the first complete rebuild I’ve done.
Brianj5600
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Re: Kieth Black 944's or Ross's custom pistons?

Post by Brianj5600 »

I should have just went through Russ. I think I am trying to do something similar to Scotty B and not trying to derail the thread, but bring up a potential pitfall.. In my case I thought I had done my homework, but getting quench and compression ratio can lead to a poor piston design. See below.

From. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6207&sid=9c3ca4d92f ... edcd7cf442
Brianj5600 wrote: February 26th, 2020, 7:13 pm I was excited when I got my last box of stroker parts today. I'm building a 4.7 with around 9.5:1 and .035" quench. I was disappointed to see the "D shaped dish". I want to run 87 octane, but the dish is practically round. I don't think I want to use these. How much turbulence would I be giving up?
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Scotty B
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Re: Kieth Black 944's or Ross's custom pistons?

Post by Scotty B »

Looks like the Russ route is becoming more of a reality. I've been down that same road in the past. Sourcing several pieces from several vendors and the chances of an issue like that becomes more of a reality. I think I'll just look for a proven recipe and break up the purchases from Russ over time to soften the pain :D Would be nice to assemble it all in the garage on my own..... :cheers:
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