I already have a machined 440 + .040" block from a previous plan to build a 496 stroker, so I've been for a deal on a set of .040" o.s. stock-stroke pistons. Yesterday I received a new set of "too cheap to pass up" eBay KB forged #822-40(4.360") pistons and figured I'd offer my comments on them vs. the Ross pistons I was also considering.

FWIW, Ross' stocking flat-top pistons were my fallback option because I've had good results w/ them in the past, they're "mid range" priced (way less than JE or CP, less than Diamond, more than JE/SRP or KB) and I'like the quality of their machine work.

However, I started checking out the KB forged line recently and thought they were a good option, regardless of the price difference. Naturally, these are my "unprofessional" opinions since I don't do this for a living, so take them for what they're worth.

Weight - Ross has approx. a 25+ gram advantage (including the pin) w/ the KBs being advertised as 827 gram. The KBs aren't "pigs", but they could have save some additional weight during their finishing process.

Skirt design - I like the KB "slipper skirt" better than the wrap-around style the Ross has. With the long 2"+ compression height of a stock-stroke 440, I don't see why a wrap-around design is needed. Plus, the KB has more "meat" in the skirts where the piston is actually loaded against the cylinder walls.

Skirt finish - Ross wins w/ a nice smooth machined finish which I prefer over the ribbed surface of the KB. I also find it interesting how the KB's "ribs" don't run perfectly concentric around the piston (which JE's surface finish does) and are actually cut at a slight angle during the process.

Dome - Well, not actually a "dome" since these are flat-top pistons. The way the KB's valve reliefs are machined into the top of the piston appeals to me more, since it has a nice transition between the intake & exhaust pockets that closely matches the chamber shape of the Victor heads these pistons will be used with. The Ross are basic "cutter" style pockets and do probably save about .5 cc in volume.

Other features - Both have the fairly common "pressure relief" grooves between the 1st and 2nd rings and both locate the top ring approx. .250" down from the top of the piston. The KB has these "anti detonation" grooves machined above the top ring land which I've seen on some Wiseco and JE pistons, too. I read the theory on what they're supposed to do and figure they probably don't do anything "bad", even if they don't really do anything at all. Considering the KB doesn't come w/ the little pin circlip cut-outs machined and the Ross does, call this category a draw.

So, "Captain Budget!" has added a set of eBay-sourced pistons to go w/ the "factory blem" Eagle crank I found on RacingJunk.com and the a set of K1 rods I just got from Dan at Performance Only Racing. Stay tuned...

I bought one of those factory blem eagle cranks before. by the time I was done fixing it I could of had a good new one. I learned that the hard way LOL!

The crank checked out OK, but I have heard about some of them having problems.

Pics please

So you are the fella that bought those... I was watching them...What compression are they,Brad?

Not Cheap, Just Thrifty..... that is just smart!
No seriously, I scored my JE slugs that are in my cuda on ebay. You just have to watch out all the time as it changes by the hour. I also bought my tig welder that way. The guy no sooner listed it and my email asking a couple of particulars came up. The total time it was listed was only minutes (buy it now option was used).
Good score. Keep us up to date on the build. Beep

If anyone is interested, SRP has a $50 rebate promo going on.

I'm just not really a fan of Ross pistons. My boss had issues with some in a turbo buick setup. He ended up with over .009" clearance and they were still trying to stick in the bores. They were getting sponsored though so in went the JE pistons and the Ross sticker stayed on the car.
I also built a 4 valve mod motor ford. Stock stroke, new rods and ross pistons. Piston skirts hit the counterweights. Stock crank??? How did they miss that?
Course everyone seems to have issues now and then.

this Ross piston had an excessive expansion problem. had to give it some good hits with the hammer to get it out of the cylinder. 0.006 clearence just wasn't enough. when we boiled it in the pot for 5 mins & measured it it grew a whooping 0.009. all the rest only managed 0.0035. the build date on these were '89?, i'm sure they're good these days but i'm one of the "once bitten ..." crowd. i gotb KB's now. great piston in my books.

Sorry to hear some of the Ross users have had problems. The set in my Challenger has done just fine for about 5000 miles of street & strip usage.

To see if one is better than the other will really take more than looking or measuring diameter. What materials are they? What is the ring side clearance? Is it consistant? Are the edges left sharp from machining? Where was material removed from to lighten them? How thick are the domes? How well are the pistons in terms of measurements matched? I like the KBs in forged or hypers. I've used Ross a couple times in kits and they were fine too. but I think the KBs have a better quality machining in terms of identical parts and tighter tolerances, even if they leave the edges sharper than what I like. (yes, I end up dressing the corners anyway...) The reason top name pistosn cost more is more than appearance. It's much tighter tolerances, better material, and more attention to detail.