Just got in from the shop where I dropped of my pistons to get new rod bolts installed. They have to remove the pistons obviously, and he said they're going to shatter cause the LT1 pistons are so cheap.

I was not aware that it was such a high probability. I thought if you had good equipment, knowledge and were careful, you can remove them without shattering the piston, although in some cases I know it happens. He said 90% chance they're going to break though.

Am I wrong for worrying?
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I'm just a little annoyed because I bought a whole new set of pistons simply because mine had so much carbon on them, now I'm hearing these cherry pistons are going to shatter anyway.

 

7 came off good, 1 he said changed size by about a thousandth, so I'm going to replace that piston (I have 8 more here).

Pretty cool.

 

They're probably going to press the old ones off and if they don't have the exact right cradle to set the piston in they might break them (they'll probably get a little galled anyway), but they will put the new ones together differently, probably put the rods in an oven so they can expand the small end and assemble them gently. Not to worry.

 

Yeah not so bad. Just costly. It's costing me 260 out the door with ARP rod bolts
110 for reconditioning
30 for piston pin reconditioning
48 for piston r&r
60 for arp rod bolts

 

We have pressed some on and off, We have atool made and it is still tricky. However a Good machine shop should have a rod heater. It heats the pin end of the rod and the rod slides right in. Its a lot less stress on the rod and piston this way

 

Yeah, I don't see how any "professional" shop couldn't.

Also the video posted by the OP shows an old generation of pin removal tooling that stresses the piston when removing the pin and highly increases the likelihood of breaking it, the tooling I used cradles the bottom side of the rod small end and I can with a great level of success press pins out on cast pistons multiple times without the risk of breakage.