How effective is this and can it be done DIY coatings? Where can I get the coatings? How hard it is to apply them? Special equipment needed?

Thanks, Joel

i had polydyn in houston do my tops and skirts. while i was there they showed my samples of the product and examples of stuff that had failed on coated and uncoated stuff. the uncoated stuff was a total failer resulting in engine damage. the coated stuff looked bad but no damage to the engines. i did it as a precautionary measure. the teflon skirts help reduce drag. was it worth any horse power? i seriously doubt it. peace of mind? a little.

Yes you can do the coatings at home, but in general, the adhesion of the DIY coatings is not as good as the stuff done by a professional. It may simply be due to the level of prep work done and the knowledge of what works best. The thermal barrier coatings work really well and are relatively inexpensive. The coatings help the pistons survive much higher combustion chamber temperatures and also boost the efficiency since more heat is staying in the cylinders. Are they necessary?...only if you are going to push the limits of power to CID.

I have the Speed Pro ones that have some special detonation deterent coating...and while I don't know how much of my success is attrributed to them...I run 9.4 CR with a 246/263 ADVTERISDED cam..puts my DCR at 8.3 or so and this is with a horrible quench(.065, iron heads and it runs fine on 93 pump gas even with agreessive timing.

I have used the Techline thermal barrier coating on my pistons, and the anti-friction coating on the skirts and pins. It goes on via airbrush, and is baked to cure. It did the job and held up just fine. Be sure to follow any home coating instructions very closely or the coating may not adhere properly.

Steve, what type of prep is needed? I have an oven and airbrush. Any other tools/equipment I would need?

Thanks, Joel

What are they charging to do pistons( tops and skirts ) or Bearings ? I've been reading about having the Combustion Chamber done also. Any issues with doing skirts w/ an old bore ?

Joel,

I own a company that applies the coatings you mentioned. We have the dry film for the skirts and the thermal barriers for the piston tops and chambers. In addition the thermal barrier can be used on the bottom of the intake.

To answer the question "is it needed" I would say it is like asking "should I take vitamins?". If you eat bad and don't exercise vitamins are a waste. If you have your motor built correctly and all the components are matched, then the coatings will help squeeze out a few extra hp. If you have a stock heads, a cam that is not matched to your gearing and an improper fuel delivery system, then spend the money getting everything else up to par. The coatings do what they are designed to do, but they are not a magic cure-all.

Tom S

Actually, if you ate poorly, vitamins would be even more helpfull, since you wouldn't be getting them from your food. ;)

I have ceramic on top and dry film on the skirts professionally done for added insurance and maybe some power as said above.

My builder says that the piston survival rate when things go wrong with their promod is much higher with the coatings.

Bump

I have a set of Dart IEs for a build-up I'm slowly working on (emphasis on "slowly"), that I've had the chambers, exh ports, and valve faces coated. Dart themselves did it.

I haven't run them yet, and I didn't run them before, so I can't really tell if it "makes a difference". I'm looking to keep heat in the chamber and exh gas, rather then the casting, above all else; should improve the engine's "thermal efficiency" a bit and keep coolant temps a bit lower.

I'll do whatever pistons I get too, probably both the skirts and the tops.