Going to get started soon

[optmaxx]

-Here are my pistons, they don't don't seem to have a quench pad. They do have numberings on the bottom and was wondering if I could use that as a guide.

-He said the same about the wire locks, but the only reason I ask is because of the warning letter my pistons came with. It just says that "Severe damage may result if RaceTec pistons wire locks are not used during assembly." I'm not sure if that applies to my pistons, the pins don't slide out. I can move the rod side to side though (left and right), the pins stay with the rods and don't pop out.

-So I should be fine with ordering the 0.010 rod and main bearings then?

-I wish I knew that there were different types of machine shops, I was recommended to these guys by a few trusted mechanics. Well, I'm not saying anything bad about them cause I haven't even assembled the engine yet, but there did seem to be a few bumps along the way, however I was kind of expecting it. Thanks guys, I know I have a lot of Qs haha.

[jsawduste]

Measure the pin to piston skirt.
You will find (or should find) the pin is offset a bit. The offset side (+ side) goes towards the passenger side of the block.

Chris can you verify that the + offset is towards the passenger side ? I am going by memory here.

Optmax you might want to call Bulltear and see if they have a thrust side as the crown is non directional. If there is a thrust side you can reverse the piston for a little better ring seal at the expense of increased NVH.

[SilverXJ]

Yes, the thrust side is on the right side of the engine, the cam side. The shorter distance between the rod and piston side goes to the right side. However, you may want to call racetech and make sure they are really offset.

[optmaxx]

I contacted Racetec and got my answer. These are not offset pins, and all I have to do is make sure that they are all facing the same direction using the logo on the bottom as a guide. Very good costumer service.

[optmaxx]

What do you guys recommend to use to wipe down the engine parts when prepping for assembly? I have the red rags from auto zone, but I notice that they leave some lint behind on the parts. Is some lint ok, or should there be almost nothing? When I got done washing my parts, I took a break, but when I came back there were some rust spots already developing on the parts, so I wiped everything down with WD40 which seemed to get rid of the rust spots. I was surprised on how quick they formed though...some rust spots shouldn't hurt anything though right? I might give the block another wash to make sure I get all of the debris from the machining out, but I'll have to wait till the weekend again so I can work on it. Some down time when putting the engine together shouldn't hurt though right?

[jsawduste]

Cotton rags, no lint, no rust. Light coating of oil or at least a moisture penetrating substance like WD40.

Final wipe down with trans fluid (high detergent content) until the cotton comes out clean.

Guessing you are storing the parts in an ambient temperature/humidity environment. The rise and fall of the temp and humidity creates condensation which is leading to rust.

Perhaps you could move the parts indoors where the temp and humidity are better controlled ? It`s OK to store your beloved engine parts in the house under the bed. My wife never notices.....Or at least has given up arguing about it.

[Russ Pottenger]

What is the cc's of your dish?

28cc is pretty easy without having to go to a full circular dish.


Russ

[optmaxx]

26.00 cc. I asked for a certain compression too, and for the ability to run 87 octane so that could be why they went circular. Here's my piston info sheet that came with my set.

[Russ Pottenger]

Kinda surprised Ractec didn't advise to build you a piston with a half dish that would allow
you to utilize a quench area.

Icon has a 27.5cc shelf piston without having to build custom pistons


Russ

[optmaxx]

Well, it's too late to turn back now, the block has been machined for the Racetec pistons. I told them what I wanted and what it was for, so I'm sure it will work fine. I will say that I don't know what not having a quench pad vs having one will do, so anyone can chime in if they want. I was told that the round dish was made because of the lower compression needed, and it could be because I said that I wanted to run 87 octane with my stroker.

I have the icon 944, but was told that I will need to run 91 octane after decking the block. Then someone suggested Bultear and another company to get custom pistons made to be able to run 87 octane so I decided to go with Bultear so that I can get what I want with my build. Maybe a thread should be made that shows all of different pistons options out there to run 87 octane, so far I know that of you want to run 87 octane you can call Bultear or Diamond. What's that Icon part number?

[Russ Pottenger]

The part number is IC668

It's a newly released piston that bridges many of the previous gaps that required engine builders to
order custom pistons at both increased costs and lead times.
I'm still twisting their arms for a few other changes, but this is a good start.

I'll try to give a brief explanation as to why it is desirable to have a quench pad on
a piston.

As the combustion chamber temperature increases beyond the functioning level of the gasoline octane, the air/fuel will ignite before the spark plug fires. If you design a cylinder head that has a partially closed
combustion chamber and build a piston that has a flat quench pad that closely mirrors the flat portion of the
cylinder head, it will want to push or direct the air fuel mixture towards the spark plug, therefore creating
a more efficient combustion process.

The efficiency level drastically increases as the piston gets closer the the cylinder head at TDC.

Simply stated. A engine that has a closed chamber cylinder head matched with a properly designed piston
with a quench pad could theoretically run a higher compression ratio and lower octane fuel than a piston
design with a full circular dish at a lower compression ratio and higher octane.

Hope this answers some the the questions many have had regarding this topic.


Russ

[optmaxx]

Cool...I can't afford to regret my purchase haha. I just have to go with that my pistons will give me what I want, and that the people that made them knew what they were doing, i pretty much don't have a choice. I found this kit that comes with those pistons you're talking about. http://www.cleggengine.com/stroker-kits ... -kits.html

[optmaxx]

To be honest, I am beginning to wonder if my pistons will give me problems because of them not having a quench pad, but there's no way I can get another set. I guess I'll have to see.

[Russ Pottenger]

I wouldn't worry about it.
Your combination will work and you wont have any problems.

Please understand and I believe you do, the spirit of my post was convey what would be the optimum way
and the reasons why. As long as your at 9:1 or slightly less your fine.

A bunch of stroker builds here running negative deck pistons with thick .051 Felpro head gaskets.

Sticking to the basics like accurate tolerances, a good valve job, and good ring seal is half the battle.


Russ

[optmaxx]

For sure, thanks. I'm all for finding the one piston for a good all around stroker build for beginners and icon may have made it with that IC668 . Some of this stuff can be overwhelming, but as I learn I'm feeling more confident to push forward with my build, thanks. I can't wait to see what I get with my combo.