Flat Top Pistons and Rods

[RazzaCaine]

Hey all, merry christmas! I received some money for christmas and a good deal has turned up for some second hand acl 0.30 flat top pistons and rods. would these be a direct swap over for the standard ones and what benefits would i gain from these? would there need to be any other mods done to the motor? currently its a 308 with roller rockers and a smallish cam and will have match ported red heads and intake manifold. it also has an exhaust system set up and the quaddy carby

[Krisp]

depends if you mean they are on ebay? careful of acl pistons. more careful of a worn gudeon pins

[Reaper]

rofl - second hand pistons are right up there with second hand toilet paper.

Reaper

[savage1987]

If they don't cost much and they are the correct fitment and you aren't building a top dollar engine, there's no harm in trying them

Give a thorough inspection before install, and be aware there may be problems if you missed something in your visual check

[Krisp]

one thing you have to ask is why were they removed

[RazzaCaine]

ok thanks for the advice guys. the pistons and rods are $200, found them on gumtree. owner reckons they have done 5000kms tops. if theyll only make a marginal difference i wont bother with them. im just curious as to what improvements they would give over the standard items

[soop]

Nothing, leave them alone. 5000km eh?

WHY are they out now?
I bet its not because the motor was awesome eh?

[ari666]

second hand pistons hey? go ahead and fit them, dont bother balancing cos the engine wont last long, then post pics for out entertainment

[VK SL 3800]

Mmm piston soup in the valley, very nice. Just like everyone else, NO DEAL!

[RazzaCaine]

yeah i asked him why they arent in an engine and he reckons he was given them by a mate and he doesnt want them. that sounds dodgy enough to me so im not going to bother with them

[Darren_L]

flat top pistons will make a noticeable difference over stock, as you are bumping up the compression ratio by a fair margin
but yeah, if you are going to the effort of replacing pistons, then stick with new parts.

[RazzaCaine]

flat top pistons will make a noticeable difference over stock, as you are bumping up the compression ratio by a fair margin
but yeah, if you are going to the effort of replacing pistons, then stick with new parts.

well im thinking of buying new pistons now as ill be changing my heads and manifold over so any recommendations for which company to buy from and what sort of difference are we talking? minor or massive? increase in low end torque or high end? im interested in building a warm engine with decent low end torque as its my daily so it doesnt get reved too hard

[soop]

10:1 compression will make the motor 100% better to drive.

[ari666]

any recommendations for which company to buy from and what sort of difference are we talking?

find yourself an engine builder and get him to quote you. i think you may be unpleasantly surprised at how much it will be.

[soop]

Last time I bought ACL pistons it cost me $650 for a set.

That said, you can have the pistons custom made by eagle for about $800.

[ari666]

650 sounds about right. i was more refering to the balancing/honing etc.

[Reaper]

I've had a good run with ACL slugs over the years on street motors. Usually pistons are a thing I'd buy after the block has been pulled down and all machine work has been done & measured. I know weather to buy stock, oversized or whatever.

Reaper

[Pub247]

Lol where i use to work i could get acl forgies for 600 for a v8 The thing is miss most about working there.

Prices are fairly inflated on car parts if your just a regular joe blo. If you got an abn or know someone who works at a aprts joint ask them to get stuff for you you'll be suprised at how much money you can save.

I saved a mate $500 on a crow cam package. So its quite easy to see that you save a bit especially on on the shelf items

[RazzaCaine]

well depending on how expensive it ends up adding up to i may get it all done next month or i may end up buying another block (soop) and building it gradually up in the shed with some help. i think $600 for a set of pistons is decent im happy to pay around that, but ill have to pay to have the machine work done before i can fit them as i have neither the tools or know-how to do it myself. anyone got a ballpark figure at the bank account damage id be looking at??

[Cane_It]

bore / hone is usually done to match pistons supplied, on decent engines...
have used ACL product a few times without any dramas

[acarmody]

I'm comparing apples to oranges here but I got a set of ACL Race series pistons for my Ecotec for $375.50 , thats pistons, rings and pins. From these guys PWA or QSS , maybe hit them up for a price. I mean 308 gear has to be cheaper than Ecotec gear right?

Actually check this site out, there are quite a few 308 piston sets listed here, https://www.americanautos.com.au/cgi...15181380529823

[RazzaCaine]

thanks for that, i think the deciding factor for me will be how much it costs to have someone install them for me

[soop]

Do it ya-self. Its easier then doing heads IMO.

Oi, if ya use msn shoot me ya addy.

[RazzaCaine]

***done***