winfield head
 

I have a rebuilt motor with pistons that come 0.20 over the top deck and a best gasket with a 0.42 compressed thickness will this work with a Winfield head with no relief cut over the pistons the rods will stretch at high rpm .

Re: winfield head
 

No you need 0.040- 0.050" clearance to be safe some get by with less but that is a risk

Re: winfield head
 

Certainly I wasn't prepared to take the risk in exactly the same situation and had the head machined using a computer program to provide clearance over the pistons
Keith

Re: winfield head
 

tommy it wont work as colin said. I am doing this now same thing with red head .had .035 clearance could only advance 4 deg then pre ing. go ing to cut my head tom. for .050 clearance and try that also centrificul adv dist worked better than manuel advance I have fsi ign round off all sharp edges in comb .chambers

Re: winfield head
 

Cut down the piston tops.

Re: winfield head
 

thank all of you for the info

Re: winfield head
 

I had the same problem with a Thomas Head. I had the head machined to provide clearance, same a "wensum" said.

Re: winfield head
 

Have you ever seen a Model A that would REV high enough to "stretch" the rods??---Sounds like one for "MYTH BUSTERS"!
Bill W.

Re: winfield head
 

yes I have I have a 2 port riley that I have had to 5500 repeatly

Re: winfield head
 

the head I have is aluminum so I took the head gasket and a scribe marked over pistons then took a sharpie then got my router and a carbide tip bit and removed the material and with a 90 degree die grinder polished with good results checking with feeler gauge and straight edge.

Re: winfield head
 

Outstanding. A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse.

Re: winfield head
 

Hey tommy,
Good on you :) !
Having an alum super Winfield and having been in the exact same situation, I took PC/SR suggested action, i.e.- cut the piston tops off ....with a HAND SANDER :D ! Came out perfect and I use her (Russian B) hard ! Had to do same same with newly made B, but since was putting it all together from scratch, had machinist mill tops off of pistons. Self action is/was the American when more time than money,eh !

Re: winfield head
 

Do the rods really "stretch" that much and still return to their original length, or is it the crankshaft flexing at high RM? I vote for crankshaft flex.

Re: winfield head
 

pistons stretch with heat iron stretches when heated don't know at what rate but I needs clearance regardless.

Re: winfield head
 

I had a Model B cylinder head cut to raise the compression ratio by eliminating the reliefs in the head for the pistons plus some more material.

Using clay on the piston tops, I determined the overall clearance (including piston protrusion above the block deck and the gasket thickness) was 0.010".

I ran the motor at a car speeds of 65 to 75 mph with stock differential gears, and initially the pistons did not come into contact with the cylinder head. However, once carbon built-up on the piston tops, there came a horrible knocking sound as the clearance between the head and pistons went to zero. That ended my experiment with a shaved cylinder head.

The right way is to run a cylinder head with combustion chamber shapes designed for high compression. Reliefs in the head for piston clearance are a necessity.

Re: winfield head
 

My Winfield crows foot aluminum head is still working fine with no relief cut into the head. I have a standard gasket, then a 0.031" copper spacer gasket and then another standard gasket. This was recommended by a shop that builds hi-performance and racing engines. The Ross pistons came up quite a way above the deck.

Re: winfield head
 

where did you get the spacer gasket I also have a Winfield red head that I will be putting on a motor that I plan to build in the future

Re: winfield head
 

Innovative machine & supply makes head gasket shims.
http://innomach.com/

Re: winfield head
 

tommy rand:
I bought my copper spacer from:
Clark Copper Head Gasket
10510 Nassau Street
Blaine, MN 55449
(763) 786-9590
I bought 2 pieces so I would have a spare. Thickness is .031" and is for .100" overbore.
The part number for mine is PN030505-A
Cost me $65 each in 2011
Good Luck
Dick

Re: winfield head
 

That sounds like the business district over by the Blaine airport, only about 8 miles from my house. I never heard of them, but in the business complex is a guy that honed some Model A rods and knurled some pistons for me.