piston cleanup question

RedPonyGT · Feb 11, 2008

Ok so I need to clean my pistons. Both books I have say I need to clean the carbon off the top of the piston and the ring grooves. What about the sides of the piston between the rings? There is a lot of buildup there as well. How should I clean that off...?

PUNISHER RACING · Feb 11, 2008

Easy Off oven cleaner!

RedPonyGT · Feb 11, 2008

will that work for the really thick stuff?

PUNISHER RACING · Feb 11, 2008

oh yeah!

RedPonyGT · Feb 11, 2008

sweet, i'm going out right now to pick some up!
I have my cam and lifters coming soon so when I clean the pistons I should be able to reassemble.
Oh another question...If the main bolt and rod bearings look good, should they be replaced anyway? Same with the cam bearings?

D.Hearne · Feb 12, 2008

DO NOT USE OVEN CLEANER ON ALUMINUM PISTONS!!!!!!!!! Unless you want em to disappear. To clean the ring grooves, take one of the rings that came from them, break it in half and use it to scrape the carbon out of the grooves. The tops can be wire brushed. I use a bench grinder fitted with a brush wheel to do parts cleaning

bnickel · Feb 12, 2008

D.Hearne said:
DO NOT USE OVEN CLEANER ON ALUMINUM PISTONS!!!!!!!!! Unless you want em to disappear. To clean the ring grooves, take one of the rings that came from them, break it in half and use it to scrape the carbon out of the grooves. The tops can be wire brushed. I use a bench grinder fitted with a brush wheel to do parts cleaning

exactly how i do it as well.

RedPonyGT · Feb 13, 2008

well, i don't think it matters now anyway because i think i'm gonna have to have the cylinders bored...
Might as well go .03 over now and get new pistons...

oh and could you guys take a look at the block picture I have. I don't know if this broken bolt hole will affect anything much but if it does, can it be fixed?
If not, should I just junk the engine?

RFMustangGT · Feb 13, 2008

I would think the price of a fresh basic 302 .30 would be the same if not cheaper than having you block fixed and bored. I remember Summit used to sell blocks for under a grand that were made by Ford.

RFMustangGT · Feb 13, 2008

I'm assuming you have a 302 but I found a link to Summit Ford block.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=SES-5-60-04-200&autoview=sku

Hope this helps.

Fast63 · Feb 13, 2008

I am not sure about your broken bolt thread, but having the block bored shouldn't be more than 150 bucks. I know many other people have had that broken thread before and have fixed it by welding the piece back on and having it re-tapped or something.

D.Hearne · Feb 13, 2008

That looks like the lower bell bolt, it's probably best left as is, you've got 5 others plus the two alignment pins to keep the bell aligned & tight to the block. Also be a good excuse to look for a roller block too. What's the block's casting numbers ?

RedPonyGT · Feb 13, 2008

I definitely don't want to get a brand new block. This is a learning block for me. It's a 69 351w with '70 351w heads. It's going in my 65 mustang.

I thought boring cost a whole heck of a lot more than 150 bucks...
Where can I get some info on machining and costs?

As for the broken bolt hole, I guess I'll just leave it if it won't harm anything.
My bud also recommended welding a washer to it.

Anyone know how good the summitracing pistons are? The ones that cost 89 bucks for a whole set?

What a great forum:SNSign:

D.Hearne · Feb 13, 2008

Visit with your local machine shop. Make him your best bud. Summit's stuff is usually pretty good, never used their pistons though, did use one of their cams.

Fast63 · Feb 13, 2008

EDIT. Oops, I just saw that you have a 351 block, I thought at first you had a 302 block with 351 heads. Summit pistons are probably ok if you are doing a beginner/cheap/learning build, some of their stuff is good, some isn't, but their pistons are probably good.

I think with machining, you'll have to check local machine shops for pricing. Ask them if they use a torque plate when they bore, because they should. They will need your block with the main caps, and if they are a good shop, they will ask for one of the pistons that will be going into the block as well so they can do it more accurately. I paid $110 to have my 302 done, but that was about 5-6 years ago. Good luck on the build!

RedPonyGT · Feb 13, 2008

Ok,
So I've decided I'm gonna scrap this 351w project because I can get another 351w 69 block that was already rebuild and bored for, I'm hoping, 300-400 bucks.
It has a torque cam and pretty much would be ready to go once I get my heads all set.
I'll probably sell my damaged 351w and my other 302 to pay for this 351 heh.
What do you guys think?

D.Hearne · Feb 13, 2008

Sounds like a plan.

bnickel · Feb 13, 2008

D.Hearne said:
Sounds like a plan.

yeah, just have your machine shop check the work that's already been done and make sure everything is good to go

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