This motor was originally assembled for me by Jackson Auto Machine (Hanover, MD) back in 2006. After getting away with quite a lot (550-600whp on 93 octane) for a good part of that time, leakdown issues in #s 1 and 2 necessitated a refresh. The risk of running things on the edge is virtually zero margin for error if some part of the system misbehaves, and this motor has weathered a fair amount of peripheral misbehavior over the years without losing its cool. Jerry at Jackson had the original notes on this one, so he was a big help in getting replacement parts sized correctly.

The crank and rod journals remained like new, without wear or blemishes.

The rod bearings were in relatively good condition, with the original dry film coating present.

The bores were sharp and without measurable wear, requiring only a 320 grit deglaze and thorough cleaning.

The rings and ringlands of pistons 1 and 2 had taken a beating however, from either detonation and/or misfire, so it was time for a refresh.

New custom Venolia pistons, calculated at 9.0 SCR with my particular head and setup, notched for squirters and thermally coated, 352g.




King bearings, Calico dry film coating.


Oliver CNC lightweight billet rod, 156mm, 586g with fasteners. No Chinese metallurgy here. You can will these to your grandchildren.


Assembled piston.


Closeup of CNC machined Teflon button. These can be reused again and again.


Closeup of Total Seal gapless moly 1st ring with grooved rail. This ring set requires different gap settings than standard rings.


Composite:

 

Those pistons look nice. Are they billet or forged?

 

These are forged from 2618 T61 billets, with Venolia's Hardtuf aluminum oxide coating.

 

Very nice

 

352 grams including pins for the pistons?

 

Pistons only.

 

Just curious why you chose a piston that heavy when you went with fairly lightweight rods.

Also, what's the pin wall thickness? .200" or bigger?

 

This piston is designed to withstand extreme thermal abuse without skirt issues, given pump fuel, high boost, and shorter compression height. The condition of the last set convinced me to stick with them. IIRC, the pin walls are 0.200".

The rods are simply what Oliver delivers for the money. I wasn't on a weight saving mission when I bought them.

 

Looks nice. I haven't heard of Venolia pistons or Total Seal rings before.

 

I've known of both Venolia and Total Seal, since my obsession of Hot Rod, Car Craft & Hot Rodding in the early 80s started, but never seen them on an Evo: wondered how come.
Refreshing to see cross-pollination.