I am going to replace my std cast pistons in my 97 454 as one burned due to poor gas. The bore looks as if it will need at least .030 over bore. The engine has a procharger so will need forged pistons. I assume I should keep the same compression height and use a flat top piston. Can anyone suggest reasonably priced forged pistons and rings? Do I need to upgrade the rods also?

I am happy to find a roller cam and timing chain that the previous owner must have had installed with the procharger. BTW it uses a holley with an aluminum housing from pro charger.

I have SRP in my 525SC, been running them for a couple of seasons, no issues. Reasonable price, got them from Summit.

I would use a flat top forged J&E/SRP try to keep comp around 8.5-1....

I assume that you have a cast crankshaft, and 3/8 bolt truck rods also.

Ideally, upgrading to a forged crankshaft, better rods, and blower pistons, is the way to go. Will allow you to turn up the boost later and make some power.

I run JE flat top blower pistons in my supercharged engines. They are a true blower piston. You get a .180 wall piston pin with these since they are blower pistons.

If youre running the original L29 454/310HP iron head, you'll have to watch the compression ratio. The heads have small chambers. Using a flat top will bump the compression up a bit over stock. The L29 head has about a 99cc chamber. Most bbc open chamber heads are normally 118-121.

Schurgervt,

Your alloy selection will be far more critical than brand or manufacturer identification. The 2618 alloy is far more ductile than the 4032, high silicon alloy. The critical element to be considered is; any fracture in a 4032 piston will migrate to termination, whereas in the event of a stress fissure the more ductile 2618, the crack will migrate from an area of high stress to a lower stressed area and stop. The 4032 pistons have assets in low stress OEM automotive applications where real time comprehensive engine management is available, however in a high stress, (particularly boosted) marine applications, where compromised fuel quality and octane levels are common, the 2618 is clearly at an advantage. The price point on the 4032 makes them attractive initially but the value goes away quickly when you knock a ring land off your piston.

Bob

This is exactly what my machinist told me today. I wasted the pistons in two blower motors. Was going to stay with JE but seizeco - oops - Wisco bought/merged with JE. CP Carrillo good company, but my machinist likes the personal working relationship he has with Arias Pistons staff.

It sounds like you recommend the 2618 material for all marine high performance engines. Do I read this correctly? What are the disadvantages of 2618 pistons? Will they melt at a lower temperature? Is the piston to cylinder clearance set up differently than a 4032 piston? What about long term durability, will the skirts wear faster? For a mildly boosted marine BBC (less than 8 psi) is the 2618 the best choice?

Thanks.

Just remember you will have to run some huge clearance with a 2618 piston, because of material growth verses the 4032 pistons (40 plus clearance is a ballpark depending on you bore). It would also depend on your build specification, boost you want to run, fuel you expect to run and your hp goal.

Isn't the difference the silicon content, ie., hardness and more subject to catastrophic failure for the 4032 when in identical circumstances the 2618 can flex and recover? I thought clearances should be 5 to 7 thousandths, not 40. Correct?

You are right they will have the tendency to rebound better. That is why most high boost engine builders recommend them, usually the 2618's have no silicon, unless something has changed. But the movement has to go somewhere. They tend to be on the noisy side with the extra clearance, Ran some in the kids twin turbo WRX, performance was great, but the 4032's probably would of sufficed.

This is what my catalog shows:
BB applications 4.200 to 4.600" .0040 to .0050"
plus .002 to .004 for marine apps.