Re: Questions about pistons

["Douglas Hurst Quebbeman" <dougq@iglou.com>]

>      A third option I am considering is having someone cut valve reliefs in
> the tops of the pistons I have.  The current 'kiss' marks will make a great
> guide for determining where to put them.  This would drop the compression
> ratio slightly, which can be compensated for by boost.  Comments,
> recommendations about this are welcome.

There used to be (and may still be) a company in Birmingham, Alabama,
called PAECO. They were/are a performance machine shop. They claimed
to be able to rebuild any engine ever made, if they had either a 
sample or blueprints from which to work.

One of their services is a coating placed on top of the pistons. It 
goes on soft, but hardens to a ceramic heat-shielding material. The
purpose, of course, is to mitigate heat damage to the pistons. But
I always wondered if the coating would raise the compression ratio
just a bit. In your case, it may nicely compensate for the cuts for 
the valves.

But I have no idea whether they're still in business or not. They 
were having trouble finding people to apprentice as machine shop
guys. In the last few catalogs I got, they offered a work-study 
program and room & board, so eager (desparate?) were they to
find help.

I'll see if I can dig up an old catalog.

-doug q
 
--
-Douglas Hurst Quebbeman (dougq@iglou.com)            [Call me "Doug"]
    QuattroClub USA# 4536              Audi International # 100024
       74 100LS Auto, 77 100LS Auto, 84 Coupe GT, 86 5Kcstq   
"The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away."  -Tom Waits