Chevron B8 Racing Pistons... Are they worth getting?

[brucedemuro]

Doing my ebay search I stumbled upon these...

Are they usable? I mean modifying the combustion chamber accordingly (they sorta look like alpina hemi pistons...)

Tell me what you guys think...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300429408929&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1223wt_1165

[john_a]

I'd pass, unless you just want to collect them on the shelf as an example of history.

Three pistons, when the fourth is not likely available, is any thing to build a project around.

And truly, I would never use these even if you could get all four cheap.

There's a very good reason no modern piston looks anything like those !

The dome design is huge & heavy, with some real ugly valve pockets. This was done to raise compression ratio, but then you have to enlarge the combustion chamber so much, you give a lot of CR back. Flow across that shape, with those sharp & deep valve reliefs is far from optimal.

And look at the thin cast material that remains at the edge where the valve reliefs were cut, I can see that weak sharp point being a problem with dissipating heat & leads to breaking out the ring land.

In general, there is not much to recommend on going backwards to vintage pistons. Modern shapes, materials, narrower & lighter ring types are a lot better than that old stuff.

[brucedemuro]

Superb, really clear and right to the point.

Thanks mate, really appreciate it!

[TobyB]

...someone got a stonkin' deal... crassly assuming you could find a 4th!

heh.

t

[brucedemuro]

Ahh man, don't make me feel bad, I had my finger on the make offer button till last second, but the comment above talked some sense into me... I'll keep saving for my ireland eng. custom set...

[Guest Anonymous]

Mahle does not have a 4th available.. hasn't for years... the ring package is also unknown and may not be available as well.

[soul]

Its funny, we actually have one of those engines sitting at the shop. The pistons are definitely insane.

[brucedemuro]

"Insane" as in you missed a really good deal? or insane meaning crazy and wierd?

[soul]

As in 12:1 compression looks really cool in real life.

[brucedemuro]

Jajaja, got to give it to you, thats a good point! Must run on jetfuel.