im going to start my 383 build up here soon but the only thing holding me back is i dont know which piston to get!! i plan on spraying, and eventualy a supercharger, so i know im gonna have to keep my compression reletively low, im going to prolly end up getting a 6" rod, if that helps. but like i said im totaly blank on which piston to go with. thanks for the help in advance!!

 

NA, N2O, and SC need not only different CR but also have other piston design considerations which differ. With pistons, in general, the lighter the better. But they need to be strong enough most of all. And N2O or a blower both need a stronger piston due to the higher cylinder pressures and greater heat involved. So, all esle being equal, pistons for N2O or a SC are going to be heavier.

WRT CR, a blower car running on pump fuel needs a low CR (7.5-9.5:1 depending on the cam and the boost level). NA will need a much higher CR. Small nitrous shots will do fine with essentially the same CR as NA. Very large nitrous shots will want a bit lower CR.

You really need to decide what you are building before you select pistons. And at an even more basic level, the desired static CR will depend on not only type of motor and fuel used, but on the camshaft chosen. Do a search on "dynamic compression ratio" and you will learn a lot on this topic.

As far as brands go, I like Ross and JE/SRP. There are other good brands out there though.

Rich Krause