quote:Originally posted by Wasatch Cat:
George,
Thanks for all the great information. Others have pointed out that if I am replacing the the heads and cam, I would be way ahead in time and hassle to just pull the motor and trans. This would also give me an opportunity to inspect and replace any questionable items and make the exact measurements you indicated regarding compression ratio. Also good advice about milling too much off the heads and losing the benefit of a modern combustion chamber when there is too much space below the head.
I am hoping the my number for the compression height of the 2416s is wrong and I do not have that much space above the piston. If I have to replace the pistons, can I install them with new rings without doing any work on the cylinders? The motor has about 8000 miles on since it was bored and the 2416s were installed?
Thanks again, Evan
Just change the pistons? Racers in the 60s at the track did it all of the time.
Really depends on what the cylinder walls look like now.
Mark Donahue once made a remark that he had found that a race engine made more power if the rings and pistons were just "friendly" with the bore (he meant a little loose) and the heads were fresh and tight.
Most engine builders will say no you can't, you need to run the cylinder hone through it, but the fact is that you can sometimes.