I have been advised in another post that I will need more piston (dome) to acheive the 10:1 compression I am looking for. I have a set of "781" open chamber heads (2.19/1.88 valves) for my 454 which will be bored +.030. I currently have a set of new TRW L2399 pistons with a .095 dome. I have been told to look at the Keith Black .250 dome pistons:


Chevy 454 with 6.135'' Rod, LS-6, Open Chamber
Top Ring: 1/16''
108cc Head: 11.3:1
119cc Head: 10.2:1
139cc Head: 8.7:1

648-KB207.030 .250'' Pop-Up Piston +.030'', Neutral


Will these pistons be a good fit (valve clearance, etc....)?

btt ;)

I almost used the KBs and only went for the
SRPs due to the heavy weight of the hypercast slugs. But, really, the hypers are probably A-OK. I just didnt want to ADD weight to the crank, which would have partially negated the cost savings, plus its only a 427 so it spins up to 7000. For an engine shifted at 6200, or maybe a bit more, hypercast are fine. IMHO and I have never used a cast piston in a perf motor.

You shouldn't have an issue with PV clearance here unless you're running a real tight LSA, high lift ( >630) cam stuck in straight up, whoops I mean quite advanced.

The SRP's will take more abuse than the KB's. That's a consideration if you'll be running nitrous or doing lots of racing. The KB's are extremely sensitive to ring gap.

I assumed after more research that the SRP pistons are the better piston, but I think after hearing your input, I could put the money somewhere else and go with the Keith Blacks.
I'll be running the car at the track on weekends and cruisin' and will not be using nitrous at this point. Thanks for the input.
I now have a set of Speed Pro pistons (new in the box) for sale ($375 for set of 8) (ship free)
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=TRW%2DL2399F30

I have used KB pistons and I personally don't feel they are worth the money over Speed Pro's. I paid $235 for the KB's, and $99 for the Speed Pro's that are currently in my 350. I'm also not comfortable with the large ring-end gaps required by the KB's (.026 min. in a 4" bore). I'm currently building a 383 and I went with Speed Pro's again. If I was concerned with durability, I would go with forged pistons.

One thing to remember about the KB's is that they retain heat,that is why you need a larger ring gap.

Since they retain more heat you can't use as much compression as most guy's are stating in there formulas.Using Pat Kelly's as an example.
How much less I don't know.I would say about 1/4 point less.