fbekholden.com

Hi guys, where do I find Rings Bearings Pistons for Grey Motors?

Does anyone make them?

Steve

Have a look here Steve > http://www.jp.com.au/JPPistons.html

I don't think they are cheap but you will get what you are looking for especially if you are after a not commonly found oversize piston.

Click on a few of the links to look for what you are after.

Rare Spares used to list them but not sure whether they do them now.

Repco used to sell ACL pistons but not sure on them now as I read recently that ACL Pistons went bankrupt ??

Other forum members might know of other suppliers, maybe those that have rebuilt grey's recently for example Trev.

Some thing I'm interested in as well..

I have purchased my mains and bigend bearings from these people.
http://www.americanautos.com.au
and will follow up with cam bearings once i get my cam measured..

They list 138 grey motor (3-1/16) pistons and rings in STD and +40
Is a big jump if your looking for first O.S though..

Keen to hear of any others, as I'm looking for first o.s pistons and rings.

Thanks so much Terry and Strogger. I am on the trail. I have three motors in pieces.

Found this one as well. Not sure if it is current.

http://www.greymotor.com/

Steve

When you click on a link it goes to Six Plus Performance Warehouse SA

http://www.sixplusperformance.com/shop/

Steve

American autos - Have responded pistions are NLA.
Rare spares basically told me to not bother with the grey. Must have been one of those "modifer" types who answered the phone.

Bursons suprisingly told me that ACL will be doing a "run" of grey motor pistions and rings early next year, but couldnt be specific and say when.
But as FB Mad has stated, ACL are currently in the hands of receivers so am not sure anymore..

Have contacted JP and am waiting on a response with price and availability.

The hunt continues..

you'de think with such low mileage they wouldn't need to be bored and pistons, that's unless the pistons are damaged and you just need stock replacements

10 years ago I had the bottom end rebuilt on the grey in my old EK and my an engine machinist mate of a mateand he had trouble finding bottom end bearings. We found them eventually but it took him a week and he has contacts!

Good luck Steve.

ratbox wrote:you'de think with such low mileage they wouldn't need to be bored and pistons, that's unless the pistons are damaged and you just need stock replacements

Cant speak for Steve, but in my case the engine machine shop told me and i'll quote "Hmm, spose it'd be o.k to flex hone and run new rings"

For me i dont want to "spose" its o.k, i want to ensure I'm not doing this job again. If i was at work and rebuilding this engine for a Roller, Digger, Pump or Compressor in a non - critical application, then yes, i'd flex hone and re-ring it.. But my car I want to ensure I've done the very best job i can..

this is a reply i got from acl

Yes Holden Grey Pistons are in stock a Nason Engine Parts.

You can contact your Repco, Bursons Supercheap or Autopro Store in your area.

They in turn can purchase them through us.

Thanks

Regards
Alan Dowling
Phone : 03 9797 1157
Fax : 03 9794 0222
Mobile No : 0417 359 683

strogger wrote:

ratbox wrote:you'de think with such low mileage they wouldn't need to be bored and pistons, that's unless the pistons are damaged and you just need stock replacements

Cant speak for Steve, but in my case the engine machine shop told me and i'll quote "Hmm, spose it'd be o.k to flex hone and run new rings"

For me i dont want to "spose" its o.k, i want to ensure I'm not doing this job again. If i was at work and rebuilding this engine for a Roller, Digger, Pump or Compressor in a non - critical application, then yes, i'd flex hone and re-ring it.. But my car I want to ensure I've done the very best job i can..

An engine shop should be able to measure the bore wear with an internal micrometer in the critical wear area of the bore, that is, from the compression ring TDC to about 1.5/2 inch down.That is the area of a cylinder bore that wears the most.

You can get a visual idea of bore condition by looking/feeling the size of the ring ridge at the compression rings TDC and also after honing with a straight hone as it won't hone worn areas of the bore as much as the more prominent little worn areas and you can actually see the wear areas after a straight hone.

Not all engines wear the same and there can be some strange wear characteristics in individual engines on inspection.

Pistons also wear and have to be checked mainly in the ring lands ( ring grooves ).They can also wear on the piston sleeves due to piston slop in a worn engine.No use re-ringing an engine if the piston ring grooves are worn as you'll get power loss due to ring blowby.

Flex hones will usually hone all areas both worn and unworn and you can't really get a visual on the bore condition after honing with a flex hone.

When re-ringing an engine, I used to straight hone first for a bit, then measure the bore wear with the above mentioned micrometre.If all the bores were still in good usable condition after measureing and visual then I would flex hone the bore.

I would send for rebore if any doubt as to an engine wear versus length of re-ringed engines intended use time.

Also, another hint.

If reboring, measure engine bores for wear and decide the minimum oversize piston needed to clean the bore up to spec.Find that size piston first BEFORE a rebore.No use reboring to an oversize only to find you can't get the pistons in the oversize you need and then you'll have to rebore again to the oversize piston that you CAN get!!

A good engine reconditioner with experience should be able to check an engines suitability by measurement AND visual inspection not just by looking at it and saying "spose it's OK "

Why not just re-sleeve to a piston size thats available?
Cheers Theo Z...................

It's true that wear can be different going from engine to engine, though I remember when a 351 I had got pulled down ( it had close to 160,000 km on it), the bores were pretty good and only needed to be honed. I'm quite sure you would still need to use oversize rings if this was done

Having more money that brains back then I ended up boring it 30 thou and getting new pistons

thropzed wrote:Why not just re-sleeve to a piston size thats available?
Cheers Theo Z...................

Usually re-sleeving is reserved for bores that are at maximum oversize already or have some bore damage etc and aren't in a serviceable condition as is.

Blokes with rare engines, for example, a genuine XU-1 block that's at maximum oversize would re-sleeve it to keep an XU-1 Torana all original.

It is expensive due to the extra time involved in machining to fit the sleeve and sleeve fitment.

By the time you pay for the cost of a re-sleeved engine you would have outlayed more than for a rebore and new oversize pistons.

Much cheaper just to rebore to a piston size but yes re-sleeve is an option but expensive to do.

FB MAD wrote: A good engine reconditioner with experience should be able to check an engines suitability by measurement AND visual inspection not just by looking at it and saying "spose it's OK "

Your right and he probably did have the measurements and compared them against the specifications, but didnt give me the details and gave me the "spose" line.. Probably was a border line call, which is fair enough, I just didnt like the wishy washy answer.

Either way now I'm not fussed, have purchased a set of first O/s pistons and rings, from Auto one or Auto pro (i forget which) in Victoria Point (Brisbane) of all places.
Couldnt beleive my luck, Got put onto them through a fella at work.