This winter we at Classic V-Drives are building Big Block Chevrolet Blower Motor (Engine). It is going to be used in a 21' Connolly Ski Bum (Day Cruiser) V-Drive, as a river/lake boat and not a race boat. Well there might be some river racing going on occasionally, which is expected, but not the sole purpose.
Engine Specs (So Far): 8:1 compression, Dart M Engine Block, Bryant Billet Crank, Oliver Max Plus 6.535 Connecting Rods, AFR 385cc Rectangle Port Aluminum Cylinder Heads, ISKY Hydraulic Roller Cam (unknown specs so far), ISKY Ez-Roll X Solid Bushing Roller Lifters, Whipple Intake Manifold/Intercooler Combo, dual 1150 Holley Dominator Carburetors and with hopefully a Whipple 8.3 liter Blower (Supercharger).
Current situation: Which Piston company should I go with? CP Carrillo, JE, or Racetec?
Here is what I found so far, all three of these companies use the same Casting, with a similar yet different machining process. I've been told Racetec previously were the owners of JE in the 90's, but over the last 20 years they have started a new brand. Obviously JE and CP Carrillo both have the long standing name and reputation of being one of the best. I also think that no one could really complain about any of the three brands, all of which are top quality.
Manufacturing Timeline:
Racetec - 4 weeks
JE - 6-8 weeks
CP Carrillo 12-16 weeks
Opinion (thinking out loud):
Since we are building a boosted engine, and not an N/A (Naturally aspirated) engine..... With 8:1 compression and about 10 lbs. of boost, would I even really notice a difference between any of these brands?
What is your opinion and experience? Comment below.
Update: I decided to order the Racetec Pistons back in November, when I was given the 4 week manufacturing time. Well it is now April 4th, and still no pistons. I should've just went with CP Carrillo.
Companies need to start being realistic with the times they give out, no one likes misleading statements and lies!