Info needed: Trying to ID this piston

[Keith Webb]

Does anyone have any idea what this piston might be from?

It's cast iron, 3 compression rings one oil control, flat top about 3 1/2" but that's just eyeballing it.

It also is .010 oversize (stamped on top).

I have a few of them, complete with gudgeons.

[motto]

You should have no trouble in identifying that piston Keith, 216 Chev.
If your eyeball is not calibrated and the diameter is in fact 3-9/16" it is 235 Chev.

Dave

[Keith Webb]

Thanks Dave!

I'll measure the diameter - I did know that the CMP 216 motors had dome top pistons, and I think our '46 truck had flat top aluminium pistons.

Originally Posted by motto

You should have no trouble in identifying that piston Keith, 216 Chev.
If your eyeball is not calibrated and the diameter is in fact 3-9/16" it is 235 Chev.

Dave

[lynx42]

Keith, I had my 1940 Chev engine re-bored and fitted with new pistons 4 days before we headed off on "Back to the Track" in July 1995. The engine re-builder (I can't remember his name at the moment), was in The Basin and he was the only place where I could obtain pistons in a hurry and get it re-bored to suit. The pistons he used where certainly Chev 216 pistons and they were cast iron and flat topped as well. They lasted well and are still in that engine although I have a 235 in the Chev nowdays.

Regards Rick.

[gjamo]

There was a big box of NOS cast iron pistons still in there original packing at Shepparton swap meet.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by lynx42

The engine re-builder (I can't remember his name at the moment), was in The Basin

Regards Rick.

That would be George Russell , he lived just down the road from me in The Basin.

George had a workshop in his back yard , he and his son did the vintage engine re-building for many years . On the wall of his workshop, there were old photographs of a Ryan monoplane , I think he was a pilot in the 1950's.

He restored a 1915 T model Ford but his usual conveyance was a Morris Minor.

He did odd jobs for me like making bushes , I recall he re-bushed a Dodge piston gudgeon for me . I heard that he had medical issues later on and I doubt that the business is still running. He had a huge stock of vintage engine parts , wonder what happened to it all.

[lynx42]

Spot on Mike. George Russell. I last saw him at Bendigo Swap Meet about 10/12 years ago or maybe more. Yes, he had a great collection of all sorts of parts and just happened to have the 216 pistons when I needed them in a hurry.

I had decided to do a run to Melbourne in the Chev the weekend before I was to leave for the trip to Darwin unfortunately the car used more than 15 litres of oil on the 300km. trip to Melbourne and as much on the way home. I could see the Darwin run was out of the question unless I fixed the engine. On the Monday morning I rang JP Piston and a few other places and ended up getting in contact with George Russell. He said that he had pistons and if I could get the bare block to him by 1.00pm on the Tuesday, he would re-bore the engine to suit his pistons that afternoon. The engine was quickly removed from the car and stripped down and I headed of to The Basin. George got to work straight away and I picked it up, finished, early on the Wednesday and had it back in the car by Wednesday evening. There was a problem with the rear main bearing which came loose on a test run on Thursday afternoon which I fixed that night and I left for Darwin on the Friday morning. I had a Jeep trailer on behind and about 15km. west of Sale the was a knocking sound which got louder and worst and then there was an almighty BANG and one of the tyres on the trailer blew to bits. I was never so happy to have a tyre blow-out in all my life. The "Back to the Track", trip is another story for another time.

regards Rick.