Pressed vs. floating rods

[2eighTZ4me]

I understand being able to completely dissasemble the motor for "extreme race" motors would be one advantage, but how often does one do that? Even the extreme racers with big pockets - how often do they disassemble the rods from the pistons?

 

I just saw my buddy's L20B tear itself to shreds due to a failed spirolock on a full floating setup. Unfortunately, I believe I'm going to be in the same boat. I don't want to tear up my motor though. Got a set of JE pistons with spirolocks and had my rods bushed for a full floater setup.

 

Just looking for some general advantages and disadvantages. I would really rather have pressed rods. Less "points of failure" - in my eyes.

 

Comments welcomed!

[Noddle]

I understand being able to completely dissasemble the motor for "extreme race" motors would be one advantage, but how often does one do that? Even the extreme racers with big pockets - how often do they disassemble the rods from the pistons?

 

I just saw my buddy's L20B tear itself to shreds due to a failed spirolock on a full floating setup. Unfortunately, I believe I'm going to be in the same boat. I don't want to tear up my motor though. Got a set of JE pistons with spirolocks and had my rods bushed for a full floater setup.

 

Just looking for some general advantages and disadvantages. I would really rather have pressed rods. Less "points of failure" - in my eyes.

 

Comments welcomed!

 

Use Teflon buttons ?

[2eighTZ4me]

Pistons didn't come with any. Guess I can order them from JE....????

[Tony D]

We put teflon buttons into our PRESSED PINS on the Bonneville Engine because when the pins started moving and scored the cylinder wall 0.080" on all six cylinders we figured the miniscule thought of the possibility of wear in the walls caused by teflon rubbing was more than offset by the fact that the pins are HARDER than the TEFLON...

 

You can always leave more clearance so they don't actually TOUCH the cylinder walls, they only come into play if the pin starts moving.

 

Generally on full-floaters it's the choice BETWEEN either spirolocks/spring ring retainers OR teflon buttons.

 

Everybody who said "I've never seen that happen to pressed in pins before" also said they never heard of teflon buttons put in to act as insurance, either. But after seeing our engine apart, they agreed that it was a viable insurance policy against recurrance.

 

You can make anything, just a matter of having the tools, or the money and a willing machinist. Want PTFE? I got 2" Diameter rods 20 feet long. Like 100 of them. They spin down to pin buttons real easy like if you have an Atlas 6" Lathe!