Watts Shop Performance

Home

Contacts

About Us

Camshafts

heads

Valvetrain

Friends of the WSP

Vids/Pics

Links

Intake

Cranks

Exhaust

Classifieds

Metals

Transmissions

Cryogenics

Calculator

Rods

Camshafts Custom Camshafts LT4 Hot Camshafts LS1 Camshafts Chevy Camshafts Ford Camshafts Street Camshafts Race Camshafts Blower Camshafts NOS Camshafts Solid Roller Camshafts Hydroulic Camshafts

Pistons

Nonferrous Metals

Nonferrous metals are those that do not have iron as the primary element. Aluminum alloys are the most common. Aluminum is one third the weight of steel, yet some of the aluminum alloys exhibit strength superior to low carbon steel. Aluminum is not nearly as strong or wear resistant as alloy steel, but has unique vibration damping properties that make it a desirable choice for connecting rods in certain high end applications. Most pistons are aluminum, too.                                                                                                    Like steel, common wrought aluminum alloys use a four digit designator. The 1xxx series basically is 99 percent pure aluminum without any major alloying elements. The 2xxx through 9xxx series are structural alloys. The first digit indicates the major alloying element. The second digit indicates alloy modification. If the second digit is 0, it indicates the original alloy; digits 1-9, assigned consecutively, indicate alloy modifications and the last two digits serve only to identify different alloys in the group. The type of heat treating process is indicated by a "-T" followed by one or more digits that indicate the method used to produce stable tempers. Aluminum alloy series and their major alloying elements used in engines include:

Heads Ported Heads LT1 Heads LT4 Heads LS1 Heads Chevy Heads Ford Heads Custom Head Work

Valvetrain Valve Spring Retainers Titanium Retainers Chrom Moly Retainers 7 Degree Retainers 10 Degree Retainers Solid Roller Lifters Pop Up Lifters Vertical Bar Lifters Chevy Lifters Ford Lifters Mopar Lifters Pontiac Lifters Olds Lifters

Intake Ported Intake Intake Machining Intake Spacer Carburetor Spacer Intake Insert Intake "Turtle"

Copper; when properly solution heat treated and artificially aged, its mechanical properties are equal to low carbon steel. Used in high end pistons today and to make aluminum rods back in the 1960s.

EFI ECM/PCM Reprogramming   LT1 ECM/PCM Reprogramming   LT4 ECM/PCM Reprogramming   LS1 ECM/PCM Reprogramming   OBD II Reprogramming

2xxx

Silicon; when properly heat treated these high temp aluminums make good, durable piston material with a low coefficient of expansion.

4xxx

Transmissions GM Transmissions 200-R4 700-R4 TH 350 TH 375 TH 400 4L80E   Ford Transmissions AOD AODE 4EOD C4 C6 Torqushift   Dodge Transmissions 47RH 47RE 48RE Torquflit   Transmission Parts

Magnesium and silicon; less strong than 2xxx and 7xxx aluminum; has good formability and is OK for semistructural use, but not for critical parts.

6xxx

Zinc; when combined with a smaller percentage of magnesium, results in higher strength alloys than even the 2xxx series. Trace copper and chromium must be added to improve ductility. Requires both solution heat treatment and artificial aging. Modern aluminum rods basically use modified 7xxx alloys.

7xxx

Cast aluminum alloys have a different three digit designator system. 356 through 390 are used to make cast pistons. Properties are close to 6061.

3xx

Classifieds Parts For Sale Clearance Items Overstock Items Used Parts New Parts Track Adhesive

Many of the standard alloys (steel as well as aluminum) were originally developed for airframe use, then adopted for automotive engines. In aircraft structure, low temperature, corrosion resistance and extremely long fatigue life are priorities, where in an automotive engine, higher temperatures and tensile strength are more important. For these reasons, many of the leading manufactures have evolved proprietary (and closely held) variations of the standard alloys that may not have a specific standard numerical designator.                            Really exotic applications have experimented with titanium alloys. Titanium rods have been used in F1 cars. Some titanium alloys posses the highest strength to weight ratios of all structural metals. Titanium's fatigue properties are higher than any other nonferrous metal, as long as there aren't any surface imperfections. But titanium is extremely notch sensitive; any scratch or nick creates a stress riser that can cause a crack to from. Titanium surfaces gall easily' so they need some kind of surface treatment to run against other parts. And titanium cost really big bucks.                                               The latest developments are composite materials that contain aluminum with some nonmetallic fiber or compound, such as ceramics (clay). Such designer materials have greater potential but are just now finding their way into the civilian market. Ultralloy actually is a high tech composite aluminum ceramic material that is ultralight and ultrastrong, yet unlike similar aluminum matrix composites can be machined without costly diamond tooling.

EFI