LB7: Mild motor build
- Thread starter jonathancasey19
- Start date
I would say the cut and coated ones. I was going to use the forged ones but was told they were not enough testing to know if they would hold up for a DD. I have 10,000 miles on my motor now.
i got 6K into mine. cut coated LB7 pistons, keyed cam and crank, bore block, dual torque plate etc, misc new parts, arp studs, clevite bearings. stock rods. assembled myself. plus the cost of engine stand and misc tools needed for the job
Show me proof that coating the tops of stock pistons works... coated or non coated stock pistons still crack and melt.....
The key word there is "help make more durable". You can tear up an anvil with a hammer if you hit it enough. Every component that is made for an engine will fail at some point and time. I have seen a turbo housing melt and the pistons that were akadized coated still were good. That doesn't necessarily mean the coatings kept them from damage but I bet it sure did help. That coating can withstand 2000 degrees for more than 10 minutes without any metalergy change. Those were stock pistons also. That's just my opinion for what it's worth.
$500 difference in a $10k build. There's still the daily driver durability thing though. Is it worth it to get them from him or have him coat some I provide? Are his new?
If you buy pistons from Guy they are brand new Mahle cast pistons (not exactly the same as what GM sells) that he modifies and has coated. I chose to go the cast route because of the potential longevity issues with forged pistons. If I were building a competition only engine, I probably would have used forged.
When my pistons were ruined by the machine shop I checked with the local dealership on what a set of pistons would cost. The right and left sides are different part numbers and have a different price; I think I was quoted $125/ea and $140/ea. They were giving me the good guy price on those too. Then you would be looking at around $500 to get them modified. I forget exactly what Guy told me it would cost if I supplied my own pistons.
So roughly $1600 after the de-lipping. Not bad......
I don't plan to coat mine. I dont think it's worth the money personally. Coating doesn't seem to be keeping them from melting. Someone posted earlier 2000* for 10 min.....It took Pat and a few others alot less than that to toast a couple so I'm not sure I would believe that claim.
I don't plan to coat mine. I dont think it's worth the money personally. Coating doesn't seem to be keeping them from melting. Someone posted earlier 2000* for 10 min.....It took Pat and a few others alot less than that to toast a couple so I'm not sure I would believe that claim.
I forgot to mention, that price was without wrist pins or rings. I haven't priced either of those, but I think I saw somewhere that rings are around $300 for a set. Not sure about wrist pins though.
The machine shop decided to balance the pistons by drilling the bottom, and on a few of them they drilled into the oil cooling passage that runs around the bowl.
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