Piston Reuse?

[Mark H.]

I've started taking the pistons out of my engine ('64 327/300). The cylinders look great. It was bored .030 over by a prior owner. My own measurements (spring gauge & micrometer) were taken at 90 degrees of each other, three different depths, 2 at each position for a total of 12 measurements in each cylinder. Takes forever. Anyway, the two cylinders I've measured ranged from a low of .028 over to a high of .031 over, with the majority of them right at .030. So I don't think I've got any significant wear. No ridge to speak of at the top of the cylinder - the pistons came out very easy. The tops of the pistons (TRW forged) have the 4 D-shaped indents and have carbon deposits on top, but the sides look great.

I had planned on putting in Keith Black Hypereutectic pistons at 9.6 compression, but now I am thinking about reusing the pistons I have. Any thoughts on that - pro or con? One side of me says put in new parts - I don't want to do this again - but the cheep in me says reuse them. Am I asking for trouble?

Speaking of trouble, I did mark all of the caps and connecting rods so they
wouldn't get mixed up, but I may have switched the nuts on a couple from one
side to the other. Is that a huge problem?

[Gene M.]

Re: Piston Reuse?

Any good machine shop will match the bore to the piston skirt size. Why would you consider tear down on the motor, is it burning oil or low on compression. I would like to see less taper in the cylinder but if everything else checks out let it be. I prefer TRW forged pistons.

[Mark H.]

Re: Piston Reuse?

I pulled the engine because it ran terrible, leaked oil and had received a "too hot" cam from a prior owner. Working on cars is therapy, but this is the first engine I've done solo, so I tend to second guess myself a lot.

[Joe L.]

Re: Piston Reuse?

Mark------

Personally, I would not re-use the pistons. If they are, indeed, TRW forged these are a high-wear item. Examine the skirts for even the slightest wear. If there is, visibly, any wear AT ALL, they are scrap. Also, have them checked for dimensional specifications, ESPECIALLY ring land specs. The latter is often the "first-thing-to-go" on a piston, especially a forged piston. If even one piston is out-of-spec, then, for all practical purposes, the set is scrap.