My 318 magnum I went from the factory .086 quench distance to .038 made it ping a lot less as well as better MPG TQ and HP. That was the only change at that time, I even took it to LA and pulled a car up those big hills on my open trailer at sea leval and no pinging on 87 octane california crap gas. After that experiment I am a big fan of maximizing quench area and minimizing quench distance.
My goal with this 2000 360 Magnum i just bought is .030" quench. Might take some decking... but i paid very little for the engine, so i think its worth an experiment. I kinda wanted to go with the 318... seemed a better choice for less machining, more tolerance, better piston shape... many details... but i just got such a sick deal on this 360 i couldn't pass it up.
360view... i think you'd just be better off with the machining. Thats a lot of thickness to ask from coatings and such... and (it would seem to me at least) a little hokey.
