My 452's Ross pistons had some noticeable scuffing on the skirts due to being run w/ too little oil. The bores had corresponding marks prior to being re-honed and I've since cleaned up the skirts w/ ScotchBrite. Would there be a cost-effective benefit to having the skirts coated now by SwainTech, et al, to reduce the additional clearance slightly and provide some anti-scuffing protection? It runs about $20 / piston for this to be done.

E booger years back done a artical in Mopar Action about a Rattle coat moly spray. I asked him years later about the application, and part number....
Maybe some one might have that article?
This coating if for a dry startup, engine break in. It goes away pretty quickly after intial startup.
I dont think a expensive coating on the skirts is worth the money, maybe on the top of the pistons etc, but not the sides.

Not sure if we're talking about the same type of coating. FWIW, SwainTech description of Poly Moly™ - ... has an extremely low coefficient of friction, reduces scuffing caused by piston movement and provides back-up lubrication if your primary lubrication fails or has gone beyond its load limits. Unlike the simple “break in” skirt coatings that are now being offered by piston manufacturers and OEM’s, Poly Moly™ is designed to be a permanent solid film lubricant coating.

Calico and Heanium have some good coatings, dont know about the refered to coating used for startup/breakin I looked things over good on my recent freshenup and after 2 years the skirts look just as when I put it together.

The true question here is, will the wife let you use her oven to cure the coatings. Better talk to her first.

Ok,

I'll say it...stop running it low on oil

"Engine Masters" engines need EVERY single HP. 10's of thousands of dollars and a lot of braging rights are on the line and cost is no object. Kasse and or Bishoff have not used any coatings in their engines for years!

You figure it out!

Mike @MM

Kasse and or Bishoff have not used any coatings in their engines for years!

Maybe so but many do, and alot has carried over to the oem world.

Not just coatings, everyone goes ga ga over King brand bearings which the majority are aluminum, just as in many oem cars today.

Think of the future and the tree huggers, al bearings are alot less harmful in the landfull then a bucket if tri-metal bearings.

Anyway I think they have there place, maybe not for everyone and everything.

If coatings help maintain thermal stability by alleviating hot spots, the long term durability/reliability pays off though it might not show up in 'net' HP. Enbgine masters used to be but is no longer relevant to anything "real world"....e.g., 3 foot deep belly pan oil sumps, deck spacers with sleeves (Kaase actually tried to pass-off as "head gaskets" ) aimed at maximizing strokes/rod lengths, etc. Entertaining but on the whole useless to the regular guy because they never publish any of the really interesting stuff in any significant detail.

I'm pretty impressed with the fit and finish of the Mahle Coated pistons in my 414, I could have opted for the standard Diamond/Ross/JE's of scores of builds past but I wanted to try something different. And the pricing was attractive and they were locally (NC) manufactured. (Where's the American flag emoticon?)

Time will tell but companies have poured 10's of millions into the development of some of these coatings, I'm sure much (if not all) of the technology has spun-off/trickled down from NASA, it's not too far fetched to expect mass-produced ceramic based pistons and perhaps valvetrain components displacing metal based alloys in the not too distant future.

As for skirt scuffing well...you basically rely on "random" oil slinging to protect the piston and bore surfaces, there's a reason modern engines and race motors have strategic oil 'jets' and dedicated hydrualic oil control systems. No doubt you can do a lot more with a lot les.....if it's surgically applied and tested.

Very true about NASA, in the mid 80-s when the shuttle was still semi young, the same coating used in the heat tiles we used on 8 piston tops and ex valves but it was over 3k.

Then at that time it was the only way to keep a diesel pull tractor together on nos.

I still use it on the tops and valves and if I recall I got alot done for around $400 last time around.

Ive heard good things on the Mahle pistons as well. Might be nice to get a set of already coated pistons. Ive some Diamond 3.970 stroker pistons cut for big valves I was going to use on a project but it seems Ive got to go bigger to cover the chamber width so them might be a good piston to try.

I have also noticed some piston companies offering coatings direct from them as well as some of the higher end nascar parts using them.

Who knows.

Any piston pics Bobby?

Maybe Blew his Budget has a little more going on than he thinks ...............

Whatever he does, what the OP wants to do is semi commmon from what ive seen on bad or scuffed skirts.

Dang SH, them do look scuffed, maybe a piston expert can explain a fix as well, could you use some 600 emery cloth or?? Just wondering...

I would be freaked out over them myself, have you opened your oil pump??

It dont have to look good to be functional.

Quote:

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Punch in this search exactly and start reading the posts returned beginning approx. 11/16/2009. I'm not going thru it all over again...

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Thank god!!!

Don't fear the coating
It will help with scuffing and clearance issues.
Call swain tech if you want the real
I would imagine it wont be long before cp, diamond, and the other mfgs offer coatings.
BTW getting some heat into the motor before beating on it will reduce scuffing.

Diamond/Ross/CP/JE and a company in Pontiac Mich., Line 2 line, web site, www.line2linecoatings.com. All these company's and more offer coating's on skirts and dome's!!!!

I have several engines with Ros pistons, I think there alloy(piston skirts ) is very soft Especially their close tolerance alloy I'm using Diamond pistons now with their close tolerance alloy with a lot better results On second thoughts maybe Ross alloys are to hard Resulting in scrathing up the cylinder walls and piston skirts