High compression 2.1 WBX pistons?

[DaryleWB]

Years ago, there was a company that had pistons available for the 2.1 that were considered to be too high in compression rating for general use. I don't know who they were made by. Are these still available anywhere? Multiple 'google' searches come up dry. I'm looking at rebuilding a spare core I have to take advantage of the increased octane rating of E85. It's going to be an E85/hydrous ethanol only engine.

[tencentlife]

http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=105

You're probably referring to the ones described in "Option 3)" in red on this page. I don't think those have been available for a long time, but it's hard to say since they wouldn't name the source. They might have been AA's, they do make a 95.5, but they've had the right 47cc dish volume for years now. They're often out of stock.

[Piledriver]

I wish someone would knock off the DJ pistons...
(I guess someone did for awhile, but they tried selling them in the land of 87 octane)

Lack of availability of high compression "shelf" pistons for the WBX is the reason you see so many boosted.
Short of a custom piston, there are no alternatives if you want to run a hot cam or such.

About the only potentially "low cost" alternative that comes to mind would be some std shelf piston with a ~reasonable dish and sink the valves/make a proper chamber in the head.

[DaryleWB]

Piledriver, agreed. It seems that these things are likely to be a real chore to find if I can find a set. Trying to do anything with a WBX is the path less traveled I suppose. Most folks just throw a Subaru engine in the back. Perhaps irrationally, I like the WBX and want to keep and play it it.

Thanks Tencent! Perhaps I'll bark up that tree and see if they might know of a warehouse where a set may still be living on a shelf somewhere.

[buildabiggerboxer]

Dont forgett there's still the longer rod option, many of us use a 5.5 rod which works very well, but check valve to piston clearances at the overlap position, then theres the t1 style metal to metal head instal with the gasket deck machined and reduced by the removed shim amount to get a DJ up to a solid 11.1 cr. I know tencent uses a long rod with machined AA's succesfully, he has a post on it all on here.

[Piledriver]

Machining the (water) deck surface is almost always needed anyway... due to corrosion.

the no head gasket trick was my plan with the short AA 95.5s and the std length (early) CB Unitech rods I spent way too much to have rebushed.

Hmmm... Now that I have 2 good aluminum welding options I may yet so something interesting with those AMC doorstops.

It's been gathering dust in shortblock form due to my getting disgusted with it, I picked up a set of ~decent rebuilt VW 1.9 heads for it for cheap, but simply have never gotten back to it as the local machine shops think they are working for NASA.
(I suppose I could flycut just the 1.9s sealing surface at work though, I'm not a machinist but have a nice machine shop )

You could probably machine a ton off the decks on the stock pistons without weakening them, might have to run a wider LC than optimal.

[buildabiggerboxer]

Pile, yes, ive taken .035 chamber fly cut to my Turbo heads, same from the gasket face, it helps a lot to restore comp' because of the more shallow chamber walls than T1 has, still has the gasket in those 98s,
Joe on here runs a turbo with no shims, think on MV pistons, so its good to go, ive also got my dj on carbs at 11.1 on the stock pistons, no shims, maybe at the stock cast piston limit at that, i broke one and it still lives, with just a new piston, but that was a circlip came loose, or wasnt in properly. you can normaly blow the shims out with compressed air under them, theyre not part of the head, they always use shims, they just take root in there. you may need spark plug washers once the chamber is fly cut, i use copper sump plug washers which work well. I cut 1.5 mm of the bowl before, no probs, many race pistons are running higher rings these days, to burn more of the void area above the top ring that causes emmisions, also picks up a smidge more power.

[Steve Arndt]

Rocky rebuilds rods with the pin offset to make the off the shelf pistons work.