i bought a set of 2004 LQ9 pistons and rods from a member on here. they look good but have the normal carbon build up on them and some on the side as well. what is the best way to clean them? i hit the tops with a razor blade but i got a few small light little scratches on them. nothing deep, nothing that will effect it i dont think

i rememeber seeing on horsepower tv they blasted the LQ4 pistons they had in a sand blaster. i was wondering if i can have this done by the shop that i have assemble the block for me?
i was doing some research and found one guy using McGuiers Aluminum wheel cleaner.

last question is, can i get any year 6.0 crank, and any lq4 or lq9 crank or does it have to be a 2004 crank and LQ9 crank since thats what year the pistons are?

this sounds confusing to me but this is the best i can put it lol,
thanks fellas


EDIT: Last question, where do i buy new pistons rings for it? i was told never to reuse them after the pistons get taken out from the engine.
i found these but not sure if they are a good brand or if they'll work
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/99-04...Q5fAccessories

 

also i saw this on one of the pistons as i was cleaning it, its a very very small chip on the bottom right of the pistons, do you all think this will be a problem or its fine??? here are some pics

 

Sand blasting is a common way to clean pistons and rods and yes any machine shop should have that equipment in their shop and will clean them up for you.

Any 6.0L crank will work aside from the 99-mid 2000? Long crank. It has about an inch of extra material that would protrude from the rear seal. Another thing to check is the number of teeth on the crank reluctor wheel. Later model years may have a 58 tooth reluctor.

The little chip is probably okay, depends on what you have planned for the engine.

I personally am not a fan of Hastings products but you should replace the rings on a re-honed cylinder.

 

i dont have any FI planned, just a big cam and a good set of heads. maybe n2o down the line

 

You can soak the pistons in ATF, the carbon will dissolve. I wouldn't sandblast the pistons. It could easily remove material.

 

Roger, why no on sandblasting? I know why it isn't good on newer sheetmetal, but not pistons. Explain.

 

what is ATF?

 

automatic transmission fluid

I used oven cleaner in the yellow can. worked great.

 

Sandblasting is a VERY general term. Media blasting is a more general term. An expert media blaster would probably know what material to use, how much air pressure to use, etc, to be able to properly clean the pistons. However, if the WRONG material is used, or too much air pressure, or the user didn't protect the wrist-pin area or skirt-area of the piston, your pistons will easily become desktop paperweights.

Tom, what I'm getting at is that "I" wouldn't do it, or have it done by somebody else. There are other simpler, easier, & less expensive ways of cleaning used pistons.

 

so just any normal atf will do?