I just wanted to present the marginal benefit vs. marginal cost of forged pistons. If plan on keeping the engine forever, why not wait until you can build it the way you really want it rather than less and getting it sooner? Just my 2 cents:idea2:
No that's make perfect sense however, I'm a high school kid on a high schoolers budget. If I was going to do build it right the first time I'd have forged pistons, ported heads, roller cam, and a dual quad setup. That would add almost $4-5k to the build which would take forever to finally get built. So, I had to pick and choose what would get done. Cam seemed the most logical and cost effective...
Hmmm. Is something wrong with the engine? Down on power? Smoking? If not, I'd keep it on the road during high school because it would be alot of fun.:Brow:
It runs like a champ but it needs a new trans, and instead of putting the Dynaflow back it I'm using a ST400. That's going to require a new flexplate and a few other mods to be done. It could be converted with the motor still in the car, but it's going to be out of comission for a while anyway while a bunch of other projects get done at the same time. My working goal date is to have her lookin' purdy and ready for the big Back To The 50's car show in 2010 (ironically also the summer before college) ray: . I got 1 1/2 years to get my act together and give her a "mini resto".
If swapping to a ST400 doesn't require a different crank then you are better off spending money other places while the engine is still good especially on a high school student's budget. With good maintenance and non-abusive driving it will last for a looooong time.
Engine coatings will help. I'm finding that it's not just the piston top coating like a lot of people use, It's actually the complete combustion chamber as well that seems to help. It wasn't a weak piston that caused the domes to break, it was the detonation! Detonation will take out the most advanced forged piston out there to the bottom of the oil pan! The stock domes are THICK and thus doesn't allow a lot of RPM. Small amounts of nitrous with the proper tune will be alright with N20. I do recommend putting an OD in your car if you have the opportunity. NOT that the ST400 is bad or doesn't perform. But like everything we are working on, the parts are getting more and more scarce. Quality aftermarket parts are becoming harder to find as well. IF you do decide to go with an OD and get a tranny adapter you MUST balance the rotating assembly! I know you could probably get away with it. How some people have, I do not know. I had to put in 4 slugs of mallory in a 401 for an aftermarket adapter to make it balanced! There is no reason for what you are doing (based on your budget) to go turbo/blower/N2o. I would gladly duplicate one customers combination plus the eelco 2x4 if that's the look you wanted. I would also recommend a good distributor or an MSD. I Like the MSD's (they are pricey!) but they are very easy to curve and will last longer than the engine! Mike
