I have some B16 pistons on B16 connecting rods laying around

I also have some B20 pistons on B20 rods laying around

I had an idea to get the pistons uninstalled from the rods...and use the b16 pistons on b20 rods for my ls....to raise the compression...and get ready for ls/vtec

I would shot peen the rods...and get arp rod bolts


any reason why I shouldn't use used parts?

and do I need new wrist pins? or reuse the old ones?

any modifications required to make these pistons fit the rods?

 

I would reccomend not using the old pistons, they are not that great after being used and trying to reuse them in another block. If you are going to use the rods you will have to shave 1mm to fit the vtec pistons onto the non-vtec rods or shave the inside of the pistons.Hope this helps you with your build.

 

no you dont have to shave off the rods, thats only if you use pct's or p73's
how many miles on the b16 pistons?
if it's low mileage and have no scarring i would go ahead and use them

 

i put itr pistons in my LS and i had to shave 2mm (1mm off each side) to get the right fit and if the pistons have no scoring they are probably ok but change the rings and i would recomend aftermarket oil rings

 

each block has a different wear
and becomes out of round as well as the pistons
so if you try to interchange them sure it will work for a couple of
miles but do not try it cause eventually you will notice that you start burning oil..

 

As long as they have low miles and are in good condition i say use them. Newer would be better. ALso you don't have to shave any of the rod for B16 pistons.

 

Yep, if they're low mileage and have no flaws, they're good to go. Change the rings, though!

Are the wrist pins on those press fit, or are they floating or have clips?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LudeyKrus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yep, if they're low mileage and have no flaws, they're good to go. Change the rings, though!

Are the wrist pins on those press fit, or are they floating or have clips?</TD></TR></TABLE>

press fit

 

you can check if the piston is still usable by inspecting the skirts, there should be no major scuffing or grooves on the skirts. inspect the top ring land by installing the ring, use a .004" feeler gauge to see if it fits in between the ring and piston, it shouldn't. if it does the piston is junk cause the top ringland is worn. also mic the pistons to see if the skirts have not collapse. you wanna measure in three spots on the skirts, top , middle, and bottom. the tip of the skirts should measure bigger and the diameter of the piston should be smaller as you measure up the skirt. if it all check out good, bead blast the dome of the piston and and use a scotch bright pad to clean the sides of the piston

 

If you need to swap out the rods, then I'm not so sure it can be done. I believe you may destroy the piston when trying to press out the rods; I wanted to get it done, but the shop recommended me against it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sander_marques &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ill put in my 2 cents,

most people have trouble with their first motor no matter how long they prepare (in most cases). Just thought i would get that out of the way. Here is what led to problems with mine and i am now in the process of fixing. I bought all the good stuff, i replaced all of the seals, bearings, thrusts, oil and water pumps, rings, fasteners (with arp, head and rod) ect, ect... i didnt skimp. i got the head and the deck checked for trueness. and i check all my clearances prior to build. (rod and mains and ect)

Here is where i ran in to trouble. i figured i could buy a SiR1 b16a long block from Hmotorsonline use the head, all nessasary sensors and plugs. then what i figured is that i could use the pistons out of the long block (for those of you that dont know, the piston is a PR3 which is similar to an usdm ITR piston in terms of static compression). Re using pistons is a bad idea, and no one should do it. contrary to most peoples belief pistons can be a wear item. They become out of round over time due to wearing on the thrust sides of the piston. This in turn was my problem. i put in pistons that were out of round in to my standard bore block. I actually got farily lucky and drove 12K miles of hard driving (minus 1000 mi of break in) and had no oil consumption problems. then i gradually started losing oil, and my motor was bone dry from the out side, so i determined that i was buring it. To make a long story short, i used pistons out of a 60k plus motor that were out of round and i starting losing oil. this was not a good call on my part, but what doesnt kill you makes you stronger...

I took my motor apart again confirm this was the problem and infact it was. So betting on this fact, i already had a set of .25 os CTR pistons with all new rings and headgasket and other little things. laying around for my new build. My block is currently at the machine shop getting massaged to .25 over.

theres my story. hope some body learns from it!

-sander</TD></TR></TABLE>

I just posted this in the "how do lsvtecs screw up thread. i would seriously reccomend against it. over bore does not cost that much...and you will be sure everything works nicely.

-sander

 

<U>so</U>
1) measure them for being out of round.
2) inspect them for damage, scarring, scratches, etc.
3) make sure to use extreme care when removing them off the old rods!
4) use the heating or cooling method to remove and install new piston pins, or make a jig aand a hydraulic press to do it.
5) use new rings and hone your cylinder walls!

<U>notes</U>
-you do NOT need to mill the pistons or rods in the combination you are pondering... (B16 pistons on LS rods)... Whoever said you did, be quiet!
-I sure would do what you are asking, so go ahead and do it!