Pistons

[mwredit]

I will need to do a rebore on my 1800 due to scoring in cylinder #4 under closer inspection.  I will be in the market in the near future for some oversize pistons.  However, upon looking around on the internet, I have found a few different ones priced from $180 up to $600.  The $180 ones are from Vick Auto Sports in Texas, claim to be OEM supplied, like a lot of the others I've seen.  I prefer to get them here in the US, but will compromise.  What have your experiences been?  Thoughts?

[mangocrazy]

Hi. I'm in the (lengthy) process of doing a complete engine rebuild of my 2000 Spider and I'm using Vick Auto's (claimed) 10:1 compression pistons. To be honest, when buying new off the shelf items there are precious few options that I'm aware of. Guy Croft has forged pistons to his own design, but the price is simply too rich for my blood. I think quite a few posters on here have used VAS pistons, and don't recall hearing any complaints.

[mwredit]

mangocrazy- Thanks, I was also looking into the VAS pistons.  Auto Ricambi also has some that look good too.  I'm not looking to build a race engine, just stock mainly for smog reasons, so I'm looking for the basic, stock compression type.  My budget doesnt allow for the forged type, and that is overkill especially since I'm not running any "Go Fast, Make Noise" stuff at all.  I'd just slap rings and rehone, but the scoring is enough to catch your fingernails and I believe the honing wouldnt take it out.  The Guy Croft stuff is great, but too rich for my blood too.  I figure since the stock stuff lasted this long, it should be good for another 20-30 years.

[jreacock]

Guy recommended the VAS pistons to me - because I wasn't after anything more than standard.

[mwredit]

jreacock- Me neither.  Bone stock is what I'm looking for.  As long as they aren't Chinese, I'll be good with it.

[Deltona]

Who are VAS pistons? A quick Google has thrown up nothing....

[mangocrazy]

Vick Auto Sports - based in Texas, I think...

http://www.vickauto.com/newstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_17_116&products_id=4032

[Deltona]

I see, thank you. What other people make them for the Fiat TC beside them and GC? I saw some chap flogging them on Ebay in Europe a while ago, but don't know much about them.

[mangocrazy]

I'm not aware of any others that are reasonably priced. Guy Croft sells forged pistons to his own design, but they are priced accordingly. I don't believe that Fiat/Lancia  can supply them new, and other European specialist piston makers would be similarly priced to those GC sells. There really just aren't that many options.

[Deltona]

There are these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kolbensatz-Fiat-124-Sport-Spider-Beta-131-High-Compression-Piston-Set-84-60/292306303577?hash=item440ed03a59:g:8bcAAOSwEWdZ0lgh

God knows what quality though at that price.

Then there's these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUPERTECH-Forged-Pistons-Fiat-Abarth-Spider-131-132-Twin-Cam-1-8-2-0-8-v/272492185613?hash=item3f71ccc80d:g:QKEAAOSwnHZYWSDP

[mangocrazy]

I'd like to know the (nominal) CR of the cast set. They certainly look to be higher CR than standard. The VAS pistons are cheaper, but shipping from the USA will add substantially to the ticket price. The German set may not be that far away in price once shipping is factored in. The forged pistons from the Polish site look very nice, but Supertech isn't a name I recognise...

[peteracs]

Hi Graham

Do not forget you will also be charged VAT @ 20% on items from the US.

Peter

[Neil-yaj396]

Hi Graham

Do not forget you will also be charged VAT @ 20% on items from the US.

Peter

....and possibly Customs duty?

[Deltona]

I'd like to know the (nominal) CR of the cast set. They certainly look to be higher CR than standard. The VAS pistons are cheaper, but shipping from the USA will add substantially to the ticket price. The German set may not be that far away in price once shipping is factored in. The forged pistons from the Polish site look very nice, but Supertech isn't a name I recognise...

There isn't one as all combustion chambers, gasket and head thicknesses are different. They are basically a one-size-fits-all piston because if the dome is solid you simply mount it in the lathe and turn it down until you reach your target CR (or leave as-is), but's it's likely somewhere around 11 or 12-1 at that.

Back when the pound was stronger it was a very rough rule of thumb that if something was $500 it would cost you around £500 by the time you got it in your hands.

Looking 'nice' (sic) is no measure of a pistons quality or competence to do the job. Supertech have been making high quality engine components for years, mainly valves, but have recently branched out into other areas.

[mangocrazy]

That's what I meant by 'nominal' CR; i.e. before they've been molested. Are you sure the dome is solid, or just hoping? If it is solid the pistons will weigh a fair bit.

I'm well aware of the markup you face trying to import stuff into the UK from the US. I brought all my US-sourced stuff back as hold luggage when we went over a couple of years back. I shudder to think what the cost would have been otherwise.

OK, let's replace 'nice' with 'not crap', if you prefer. It was meant as a mark of approval. They appear worth the money being asked.

[Deltona]

I'm presuming about the dome, i'm sure the vendor would would give a more accurate answer!
You win and lose with a big dome like that, the flame front can't travel across the combustion chamber making it more prone to det' and lose some of the increase which was had by the higher CR.
Sorry, that was my old English Language teacher speaking there (the old stick) he advised me the word 'nice' had so little meaning that it had no place in the English language, he was right in a way, I remember looking in a dictionary at the time and it wasn't even in there. 

[mangocrazy]

Sorry, that was my old English Language teacher speaking there (the old stick) he advised me the word 'nice' had so little meaning that it had no place in the English language, he was right in a way, I remember looking in a dictionary at the time and it wasn't even in there. 

We either had the same English teacher or they had both been schooled similarly, because my EL teacher had a similar antipathy to the word 'nice' (or more to the point its over-use). I seem to recall that it originally meant clever or accurate (as in a nice distinction), but over-use has rendered it essentially meaningless.

[Deltona]

Sorry, that was my old English Language teacher speaking there (the old stick) he advised me the word 'nice' had so little meaning that it had no place in the English language, he was right in a way, I remember looking in a dictionary at the time and it wasn't even in there. 

We either had the same English teacher or they had both been schooled similarly, because my EL teacher had a similar antipathy to the word 'nice' (or more to the point its over-use). I seem to recall that it originally meant clever or accurate (as in a nice distinction), but over-use has rendered it essentially meaningless.

Yes, you must have had a Mr Richards too, i'm guessing he would have been brought up by people with Victorian values and he was a bit of a character. He would never lose his temper in class, but simply use his wit, icy stare and superior knowledge of English language to cut down any trouble maker in his tracks. I remember him telling a scruffy trouble maker he was a tramp and a vagabond amongst other such choice describing words, some i'd never even heard of at the time! They don't make 'em like that any more.