David, interestingly we always use your pistons which work great every time! Btw it should be noted that Dan @ Pruven has a tool which he uses to do the balance shaft removal with the engine in the car. We did it many times although its a tight squeeze.

 

Is it called a 19mm ratchet?

That is what is needed to remove the front engine motor mount so the motor can be dropped down low enough to remove the frontcase and access the bshafts.

I used this method on my personal Galant VR4 years ago. Definately not a fun job, but doable.

 

I am in the same predicament as you. Get the car running now or wait a few months and do it right.

 

I'm runnning Buschurs drop in pistons and rods also.

 

I was referring to the fixture he utilizes to knock out the balance shaft bearings and re-insert them with the crank in place.

 

I understand removing them to hone but why replace? Do they go bad, are they not reusable once removed? I am not being sarcastic i am genuinely interested.

 

Actually I disagree on having to take the oil jets out. The type of hone that TTP is using would hit them and could bend them, I can see taking them out for that reason. The hone I have has a smooth plate on the bottom and can be run right down on top of the jet and it won't effect it. Also if you look the rings do not ride that far down in the cylinder so honing it that far down for a good ring seal isn't needed.

 

R/R as in remove/replace the existing ones.

DB has a point though, but I like having the same finish on the whole cylinder.

 

AL, TTP, and DB very good info here makes me think hmm.. should i do pistons????

 

Agreed

 

i did drop in wiseco pistons, eagle rods and clevite bearing and everything is good 1000 miles in. about to do the 3rd oil change and going to full synthetic. made 504whp with it so far.

 

Here are some various pics again in case someone missed them.

 

Some good info in here, thanks for clearing up the balance shaft thing as well, was not sure if it would work at all leaving that in.

 

Very good information here!

I removed the head to do a drop in of pistons and found this! I am glad I did!

 

in my opinion of everyone whom has posted, if your doing a drop in piston, David is the only one to do it where your actually going to catch an issue before it becomes one...the key word is a dial bore gauge. I appologize for my ignorance, as I wouldn't use Plasti-guage on my lawn mower, and have no experience with it because if memory serves me right, I think it is only accurate to within a half thousandths? if that? where a dial bore guage is accurate within a tenth of a thousandths. And it can be used to see if the cylinder is out of round, something plasti-guage cannot do.. I also think it's those of us that have actually machined a block in a hone, and used said dial bore guage that cringe at the thought of doing it otherwise. You don't have the experience of seeing putting to much pressure on the stones and seeing how much material it can take away, and then you lose your piston to wall clearance. Or, even worse is the customer who uses the ball hone, and makes the cylinder wall hour glass shaped(that is what a ball hone will do, just follows the shape of whatever your using it on)
So, we could assume everything is right, but without the right tools your truely guessing and asking the customer to do so as well.

In my opinion, it should also be understood, that checking the static compression is not always a good indiactor of how a engine is sealing. You need to perform a leakdown to really guage that.

I guess we cannot argue with the success of the drop-in piston performances from everyone who has chimmed in..but everyone agreed it is not the right way to do it, just the most short term economical way. But, I guess sometimes it's not what's right, it's what is. Sure it will run, and make power..but I personally would never tell my customer it is a good idea, nor would I do it myself and be able to sleep at night without using my $2500 dial bore guage...but I am also a perfectionist and do everything in that manner.

One good thing about it is, if it going to be off, it's most likely going to be big..and there is a saying in engine building, " too loose you know it...too tight everyone knows it! "