Thread: old pistons

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ok so i've decided to do a small teardown cleanup, hone, polish and rering. On my 1965 shelby K code 289( it was in my fathers 66 gt350 which he piled up in 71 with about 25k on it, it has sat since then).... i'm trying to do this on a currently very tight budget because i've got a lot of money wrapped up in a lot of projects right now... i was wondering if it is safe to use the old cast iron pistons or if they're just going to be a hazard waiting to blow apart and wreak havok inside my engine..... i've already heard a few people say that was a risk but others say it'd be fine i just want some guidance from some guys i trust a little more when it comes to actual engine building

I think you will be fine, as long as you don't beat the crap out of the motor a lot. Forged are of course stronger, but for most street applications, cast are ok.

I'm doing exactly that to the 350 Chev I'm rebuilding for the T. The pistons are going to get a cleanup and reringed and reused.

Don

You should be safe if they came out of it.

Mic the pistons and the bore, see what your clearances are. If it's within spec, run em. Cast pistons work just fine as long as you don't get crazy on the revs.....

I think you are safe, just follow what is posted above, have them checked out. sounds like a nice foundation for a good build.

The pistons aren't iron. But, if the pistons measure up, there is no reason to replace them. Just clean the carbon out of the grooves. Break an old ring and use it to scrape out the carbon. DON'T FORGET to measure the piston ring side clearances. The ring grooves usually wear out long before the skirts. A worn ring groove will lead to a broken ring/ring land.

alright cool... i'm gonna go for it... the motor doesn't have much mileage since the car was piled up with low mileage, then again i was told the car was also driven like a racecar the whole time he had it..... so i guess its time to pull the sucker apart.... i'm gonna keep the motor 100% stock including the fomoco 4bbl carb even though its a junk carb.... its how that motor came.... i dunno if i should put the shelby valve covers on or just stick some regular ones on tho.... real shelby covers might be worth too much to risk