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'72 454 Pistons

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Old Jul 12, 2011 | 09:13 PM
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Default '72 454 Pistons

I know a '72 is pretty low compression, but I just pulled the heads off one and found domed pistons. Is that normal (to make up for the huge chambers in the heads?)? I don't see any markings indicating an over bore, and everything else in the engine looks stock.
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Old Jul 12, 2011 | 11:49 PM
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72's are normally flat tops. Someone has changed something. Can you post a pic?

JIM
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 12:21 AM
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The pistons were apparently replaced without boring the block if it's std. bore.

Jim is right. They had ft pistons.
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 09:33 AM
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Post a picture.
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 10:35 AM
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Possibly an LS-7 piston? Looks similar at least.

The heads are:
3964291 1969-72 454 2.19 1.88 Closed 108

Here is the reason I initially tore it down:

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Any idea what kind of compression this thing is making? Headgaskets were stock type steel shim.
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 11:05 AM
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Probably making 10.5 or more. That lifter is really worn down. I wonder what the mating cam lobe looks like??? Might be a 'soft' lifter; might need more zinc in the oil; might be a 'geometry' problem with the valve train parts selection. What do the other lifters look like?
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 11:29 AM
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Here is an LS-7 piston (well, actually 4 of them)


number stamped in the piston is 3963551
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 11:38 AM
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Originally Posted by 7T1vette
Probably making 10.5 or more. That lifter is really worn down. I wonder what the mating cam lobe looks like??? Might be a 'soft' lifter; might need more zinc in the oil; might be a 'geometry' problem with the valve train parts selection. What do the other lifters look like?
The lobe was prettty bad, too...sort of oval. I don't know much about the car beyond what the customer told me, but other than aftermarket lock nuts on the rockers it all looked stock to me, even the cam. He brought it to me for valvetrain noise, and a spark knock issue, along with a general underhood restoration.
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 11:45 AM
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One of my guys found a number on the pistons...3963550. LS6 pistons! How are these on pump gas? The car is going to get a fairly healthy hydraulic roller, and already has an MSD ignition.
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 01:40 PM
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Those pistons were for a '70 only closed-chamber LS6 engine. They are listed at 11.25:1 compression. Usually they're a bit lower than this in reality. I don't see any bad detonation signs on your one piston so I would leave it alone unless the engine needs a rebuild.

Before you go any further, get the numbers off of the front of the engine pad. If what you have is a "genuine" LS6, it's quite valuable. What you have may be a crate engine, one a previous owner assembled using LS6 parts using the car's original block. OR it may be a NOM engine someone put together from parts. It's worth knowing before deciding what to do with it.
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 03:44 PM
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Looks like its an LS6...on the pad is T0113CRR, which I show as Tonawanda, Jan 13, LS6...so this engine was replaced at some point. I don't see a partial VIN on the pad, so maybe this is a replacement LS6 (though it appears to have been in the car a LONG time)?

The car's VIN is 1Z37W2S505234, so at least it is a real big block car (LS5).
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 04:55 PM
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Interesting. CRR indicates it was in a '70 chevelle, 450 hp with a th400 trans. so it does jive. There's no number below the CRR suffix? The VIN is usually smaller and can be a bit harder to see since they're usually covered in gunk.

If the casting number and dates on the back of the block agree, this is something a Chevelle guy would be interested in. Make sure the dates on the heads agree. As an example, a friend had an L78 396 from a 68 Camaro in his 66 corvette. I pulled it for him and it sold for $5500 in 2006. It completely paid for his 496 build. This would be worth more.
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Old Jul 13, 2011 | 05:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Ben Lurkin
Interesting. CRR indicates it was in a '70 chevelle, 450 hp with a th400 trans. so it does jive. There's no number below the CRR suffix? The VIN is usually smaller and can be a bit harder to see since they're usually covered in gunk.

If the casting number and dates on the back of the block agree, this is something a Chevelle guy would be interested in. Make sure the dates on the heads agree. As an example, a friend had an L78 396 from a 68 Camaro in his 66 corvette. I pulled it for him and it sold for $5500 in 2006. It completely paid for his 496 build. This would be worth more.
No other stampings on it at all...I used a nylon wire brush on it to clean it up, without taking off any metal, just to be sure. Hmm, well that makes things interesting. I'll check the rest of the numbers and post them. Being a non-original engine anyway, it would make sense to get this in the hands of a Chevelle guy.
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