SCJ pistons?

Man, this build is teaching me alot!! I finally got this engine apart and it turns out that it has 2 bent exhaust valves #4 and #8 C8VE heads, And a cracked KB piston #1 the top ring gap was too way too small according to the machinist.

So I ordered some SCJ heads and dropped the remaining parts off at my local machine shop. He is going to check the block, rods and crank for me. He says he cant cut the pistons for me and wanted me to research the pistons I need because he says he has been through this before and ordered the wrong pistons. So reading on here I went straight to probe and filled out a price quote. Is it possible to order a aftermarket forged flat top piston that will accomidate these heads or do I need to go dish? I havent got a response back yet from probe and I also wanted to get some feedback from you guys. The block is currently a 466 but it needs to be bored more and I see Probe has the 4.42 next. I'm suppose to get this info and let the machine shop know what is available. Thanks in advance you guys are always helpful.
-Jeff

Which heads? Ford racing SCJ aluminum? Or factory Iron?

Ford racing, here is the part number.
FMS-M-6049-SCJA

Are you stroking it or sticking with a stock stroke and rod?

Lem has complete stroker kits .o30 over with forged pistons and h beam rods for $1150.

Look in the for sale section.

I was initially planning to stick to the stock rod not stroking it, but if the price starts to creep up I think I might be better off saving a lttle bit longer for a stroker kit.

Yes I saw that deal and it motivates me to go that route but the block is already at 4.39 and it needs to go bigger because of scarring.

Buy the time you recon rods, put bolts in them, cut the crank, buy pistons rings nd bearings.... The extra 60 inches is cheap in the stroker kit, well worth the extra few $$$$

I agree with you, I think I'm going to wait it out and get a stroker kit, plus it saves me from having to do it later on. Thanks for the replies.

blu69MachI wrote:Man, this build is teaching me alot!!

He says he cant cut the pistons for me and wanted me to research the pistons I need because he says he has been through this before and ordered the wrong pistons.
-Jeff

He may have been through ordering the wrong pistons but, there is NO reason an SCJ intake notch can't be added to that flat top piston unless for some reason he is simply incapable of doing that job. Considering WHERE that notch is required to be ... ANY big block Ford flat-top piston will have plenty of thickness for a notch in that place on the piston crown.

He told me he couldnt do it in his shop and that I would have to get it done somewhere else or that I probably could go to Diamond and have them customize a set for me. I think I'm going to just put together some money and spring for a stroker kit if my block turns out to be good,

Not too sound harsh but, it sounds like that machine shop doesn't know a bunch about big block fords. I would be going else where if it were me.

Yeah, I'm starting to wonder about that too. I had luck with them on other stuff and thought I would try them first since I've used them before. I'm going to call some other shops tomorrow, kinda gave me a feeling like I dropped my kid off at a bad daycare or something.

Any good shop with a mill can fly cut the pistons for you. You can even do it yourself using a cutter that goes in place of the valve.

dfree383 wrote:Are you stroking it or sticking with a stock stroke and rod?

Lem has complete stroker kits .o30 over with forged pistons and h beam rods for $1150.

Look in the for sale section.

race mart has the same kit for $966.95

quick 52 wrote:

dfree383 wrote:Are you stroking it or sticking with a stock stroke and rod?

Lem has complete stroker kits .o30 over with forged pistons and h beam rods for $1150.

Look in the for sale section.

race mart has the same kit for $966.95

Call racemart up and see how many tech guys have a clue about BBF engines....... Service and Knowlage have alot more value.

quick 52 wrote:

dfree383 wrote:Are you stroking it or sticking with a stock stroke and rod?

Lem has complete stroker kits .o30 over with forged pistons and h beam rods for $1150.

Look in the for sale section.

race mart has the same kit for $966.95

AFTER sale service and tech help is NON existent ... they already have your money.

Pay a tiny bit more and avoid potential future problems.

rmcomprandy wrote:

quick 52 wrote:

dfree383 wrote:Are you stroking it or sticking with a stock stroke and rod?

Lem has complete stroker kits .o30 over with forged pistons and h beam rods for $1150.

Look in the for sale section.

race mart has the same kit for $966.95

AFTER sale service and tech help is NON existent ...

Not required, that is what the machine shop is for. Find it for lowest price online, walk into your friendly neighborhood machine shop and say "here's the parts", and let them figure it out... Call from shop to customer: Well the crank has .001" taper on the journals, the pistons are wrong for your application, and the bearings are for a SBC... LOL

picked up my parts today, after calling around, taking things to this well known shop that confirmed he can do what I needed. After getting the block checked. we will talk about moving forward from there.

466cj wrote:

rmcomprandy wrote:

quick 52 wrote:

dfree383 wrote:Are you stroking it or sticking with a stock stroke and rod?

Lem has complete stroker kits .o30 over with forged pistons and h beam rods for $1150.

Look in the for sale section.

race mart has the same kit for $966.95

AFTER sale service and tech help is NON existent ...

Not required, that is what the machine shop is for. Find it for lowest price online, walk into your friendly neighborhood machine shop and say "here's the parts", and let them figure it out... Call from shop to customer: Well the crank has .001" taper on the journals, the pistons are wrong for your application, and the bearings are for a SBC... LOL

And the price to correct everything.......... Typicaly x2 of getting the parts from a knowlagable source...... And the big savings works out to be more out of your pocket.....

I think shopping around is a good way to save money and i think we all do it. to pay top dollar for something you can buy for 20% less is not a bargin thats why its called shopping. Ford does have a tech line and a warranty

quick 52 wrote:I think shopping around is a good way to save money and i think we all do it. to pay top dollar for something you can buy for 20% less is not a bargin thats why its called shopping. Ford does have a tech line and a warranty

The point Dave and I are trying to make is not about spending "top dollar" but, it is senseless to spend a mere 8% less and forgo any after-sale help from the seller. Spending that extra money could/would be the best bargain in the long run. Especially if you don't have the capability to do your own machine work.

rmcomprandy wrote:

quick 52 wrote:I think shopping around is a good way to save money and i think we all do it. to pay top dollar for something you can buy for 20% less is not a bargin thats why its called shopping. Ford does have a tech line and a warranty

The point Dave and I are trying to make is not about spending "top dollar" but, it is senseless to spend a mere 8% less and forgo any after-sale help from the seller. Spending that extra money could/would be the best bargain in the long run. Especially if you don't have the capability to do your own machine work.

Ford is a standup company to do buisness with im sure if akit piece in faulty Ford will make it right just like they will with you. and its not a mere 8% its $1150-$966= $184 16% of the sale sound like a balance job

quick 52 wrote: Ford is a standup company to do buisness with im sure if akit piece in faulty Ford will make it right just like they will with you. and its not a mere 8% its $1150-$966= $184 16% of the sale sound like a balance job

Is "Race Mart" the same as "Ford" ..?

Is "Kroger" the same as "Del Monte" ...?

Is "Home Depot" the same as "De Walt" or "Milwaukee" ...?

If you plan on custom machining, and a custom deal your doing yourself, and have knowledge of exactly what you want, then buy a cheap kit and do the custom stuff with your machine shop., if your looking for a already complete kit that is no muss, no fuss, then spend a little more and get your parts from someone that can put together the parts you will need to accomplish your goals, not a one size fits all kit. That knowledge and experience comes at a cost.

I would never buy a kit from some parts supplier and just drop it in without checking everything for proper machining, clearances, etc...

Really If you bought it from a value added seller you still have to do some checking as it does not know where you main housing bores are, nor what the cylinders are honed to.

These things best done by your local machine shop unless you have proper measuring equipment and even then you need the equipment to make things right if need be. Only difference buying from a value added seller would be things within the sellers control we assume would have been checked and corrected if needed.

As for tech support, if you know nothing than it could be a plus all depending...

Now if you know what you are doing or use a competent shop than the value added sellers advice likely is of no real value and it comes down to how much your local machine shop has to check and correct. I know the way we did it, and that is it all got checked, regardless of source... but a good supplier that is checking what they sell can make you life a lot easier and put a smile on your face when everything checks out the way it is supposed to. It also saves the customer the cost of rework. Warranties are great, but shipping gets expensive, not to mention delays, most just opt for rework and move on...

Steve

rmcomprandy wrote:

quick 52 wrote: Ford is a standup company to do buisness with im sure if akit piece in faulty Ford will make it right just like they will with you. and its not a mere 8% its $1150-$966= $184 16% of the sale sound like a balance job

Is "Race Mart" the same as "Ford" ..?

Is "Kroger" the same as "Del Monte" ...?

Is "Home Depot" the same as "De Walt" or "Milwaukee" ...?

i thought we were buying a m-6013-521 kit and taking it to a shop for the required machine work. i think most people dont have a machine shop in the garage. so thats why there is machine shops. most buy the parts they are going to use for there build.