Best aftermarket piston? (038 super)

[Ollie_M]

hi, i have an 038 super that has about 145 psi compression, mild scoring on piston skirt so looking at replacing it this winter as am planning on stripping it down and giving it a good clean through replacing rubber parts etc. cant seem to get oem or meteor 50mm pistons anymore. are golf pistons any good as that seems to be all that is available? Also even if people do say that replacing piston and rings isnt needed yet then i would still like suggestions as is obviously going to need one at some point

[spudulike]

Golf are reasonable but swap the circlips out with either the originals or new OEM clips.

Meteor are probably the best AM pistons followed by Hyway but have used Golf in the past with success.

[Ollie_M]

cheers mate, would it be worth getting a ball hone and giving the cylinder a quick run when i put a new piston in?

Edited October 19, 2023 by Ollie_M

[spudulike]

Sorry, I missed the question. Ball hones are relatively expensive so unless you are going to use it on many other machines, try a much cheaper 3 leg hone but take a lot of care around open ports and lower transfers especially if the stones are likely to drop in to them.

It is always a good idea to break the glaze/shiny surface of the used cylinder as it will help significantly on wearing the new ring and piston to match the old bore as cylinders/rings and pistons will never be 100% the exact same size.

I used the 3 leg hone in the work I did and with great success.

[Ollie_M]

On 23/10/2023 at 19:28, spudulike said:

Sorry, I missed the question. Ball hones are relatively expensive so unless you are going to use it on many other machines, try a much cheaper 3 leg hone but take a lot of care around open ports and lower transfers especially if the stones are likely to drop in to them.

It is always a good idea to break the glaze/shiny surface of the used cylinder as it will help significantly on wearing the new ring and piston to match the old bore as cylinders/rings and pistons will never be 100% the exact same size.

I used the 3 leg hone in the work I did and with great success.

any specific 3 leg youd suggest?

[spudulike]

Nope, I just get them of eBay. I have used Sealey and Nielson brands in the past. 

[Muddy42]

There are a few 50mm Meteor piston, cylinder and ring kits on ebay?  To the point about pistons fitting well, it may be best to replace both at the same time.