Hi,
I need information on the piston selection for my build. I already have most of the parts ordered but having a hart time finding the right piston to achieve a good compression that will allow me to use regular pump gas.
here is the list:
Edelbrock cylinder heads EDL-61629 ( 60cc Combustion Chamber)
Edekbrock intake EDL-2171 ( dual plane )
Edelbrock carb 650 cfm 1826. (4 Barrels)
com camps dual energy cam CL32-206-3 203 int/216 exh (RV cam)
COMP Cams Magnum Steel Roller Tip Rocker Arms 1411-16
I already have the 400 crankshaft but pistons is where Im having difficult to find. Since the heads are 60cc I will probably need dished top pistons to stay with in 9.5~ 10:1 CR.
Any sugestion???
I already talked to Timothy Meyer but he no longer carries the TM/KB2344 (30cc didhed) since Aussie heads are not longer that plentiful.
thanks in advanc

 

I can't find those pistons either, but find a bunch through Summit. Is this a parts list or do you actually have these parts? The 335 series forum is really where you need to be on this question.

 

this are the parts I already have. Those you mentioned listed on summit are cast pistons oem replacements. I am in the quest for forged pistons if there such a thing. Now i see why 400 is no a popular built, no aftermarket good enough for it. My cylinder heads work on 351C, 351M and 400 ( modified 335 family). Thanks though

 

Try 351C piston selection. They work in the 400s. You have to install a bushing from a 292 Ford engine in the small end of the rod to get the right pin clearances . Any competent machine shop should be able to do this . I used 351C flat tops for my build.

 

Thank you man!
I will definitely look into that. Now Im into something here, Thanks!

 

Try T.M.I.

 

That was the first place I went. He not longer has the TM/KB2344 that will produce 9.43:1 CR on the 60cc Cylinder heads and I dont want to go over 11:1 CR so I need other options. Thanks though

 

Even if you can find a 351c piston that has a 30ish cc dish it will probably still be too far below deck to get good squish with your heads.

I believe you will be stuck with custom pistons.

When you talked to Tim did he mension customs pistons?

 

It looks like I have found my Pistons.
Keith Black KB148-030 Hypereutectic and the Engine Piston Pin Bushing CLEVITE 223-3546 to re-use the 351M connecting rods and they will put me close to 10.20:1 CR but Aluminum heads should dissipate heat better than stock so pinging may not become an issue with regular pump gas, what yall think?

 

My thought is you should have went with a head that has aprox 72cc chamber. Then tim's pistons would be perfect. Also the edel heads don't flow much better than stock. For the money you could have had TFS 195's. I understand that you already have the edel heads so yeah, you now stuck trying to find a piston with the right dish and comp height. Since tim was the only one making these (he used them for the aussie heads), your kinda screwed. To do it right your either going to need a custom piston, use a 351C piston and mill the **** out of the block to get proper squish or sell the edel heads and get some heads with aprox 70cc chambers and use Tims pistons. Difficult pickle your in.

 

I bet you all have heard about the mutt, one of the very first documented Ford 400 build that went over 500hp. It was done using others rods and pistons and all because of the lack of aftermarker support for these engines. If im not mistaken they used same heads that I will use only that their CR was way too high for my kind of use.
Will 10.5:1 compression rate allow me to use regular pump gas with no issues???

 

I've heard of the mutt, aka, the most expensive way to get 500hp out of a 400........

 

I would think 10:1 would be fine with aluminum heads. After that I don't know. Depend on you altitude above sea level, timing, fuel mix. I have had excellent results with Snow Performance water/methenol injection.

 

I'm currently running close to 11:1 on my 351C with 58cc closed chamber *iron* heads and don't have an issue running 95RON (90 pump rated) fuels at all. I've needed to dial my ignition and mixture under throttle in but haven't got an issue so far with using this fuel. The next step up over here is 98RON (93 pump) and its too expensive to justify. I could probably get away with 91RON (87 pump) with some effort but don't want to risk it without a dyno run.

10:1 or so isn't an issue so long as you have the mixture and ignition timing dialed in, mind you that RV camshaft might not be so happy with such a high compression ratio - I would try something like an Elgin E-907-P which is slightly hotter, a very mild street camshaft that is similar to the Cobra Jet grind apparently.

The irony there is that I have got the E-907-P camshaft and wish I'd gone slightly hotter, haha. Still, its a nice grind a scoots well considering the truck weighs in at 4950 pounds... without my 6'3"/220lb frame inside.

End of the day its all about your timing curve. Doesn't matter if you run super premium and have 9:1 in it, if you have some crazy timing curve you would still detonate. Get the thing tuned properly once its all together and you shouldn't have a problem.

- boingk

 

Agreed, if you run a big enough camshaft to lower DCR to an acceptable level, you can run a high CR. CR doesn't really mean much, its DCR that counts. But as you go bigger in camshaft you get less low end torque and low end torque is needed in heavy vehicles.