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Just tore down a customer's '54 359. At 91K it is no surprise that it has already had rings and the top grooves had been fitted with ring spacers. Well those rings are now breaking up into bits and have been doing their best to exit via the top of the piston. One nugget of ring has carved a nice notch in the #1 cylinder wall.

Needless to say I am on the search for oversize 359 pistons. All ideas on that front are warmly welcomed. I am sort of expecting to have to have them made.

Can't help on the pistons but am curious about this situation if there is a need for special pistons being made because I doubt those would be cheap. What would be cheaper or most reliable -- sleeving back to standard assuming 359 pistons are available at all or the specially made pistons.

Hello Ross:

If it comes to new pistons, then you should try Diamond in suburban Detroit.diamondracing.net/products/custom-pistons.php

My brother uses them routinely for motorcycle restorations. Says the pistons come out like jewelry - so nice you almost don't want to install them. Diamond gets you all the parts: piston, wristpins, keepers and rings.

He guesses that for the 359 you would be looking at $1,200 or so based on what he pays for 4-cylinder motorcycle engines. The call is free to find out.

Hope this works out for you.

--Roger--

Sleeving the cylinder would do the job without the need for custom pistons and is (or was when I last did it) quite reasonable. When working on my 1952's 327, I saw cracks and those were repaired by a mobile service that came to my storage yard to do the work which was done with the engine installed. The same shop had previously sleeved my 1954's 359 back in the '80 in their facility and it still runs well today. Of course, sleeve only the cylinders that actually need it but I would encourage checking for cracks first as they are often not visible to the eye and typically run to one or more of the valves.

How about making this a project blog?? Be interesting to see it come a part and go back together.

As of the phone calls I made today, there are no 359 pistons of any size available. The old ones are absolutely unusable so sleeving back to standard is a moot point. Thanks, Rodger for the tip on the custom made pistons. Will check on them tomorrow and begin talking the owner down from the parapet of the bridge.

Did you check Egge? They still had them the last I looked a few months ago.