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MSD may not be a brand you normally find yourself talking about, but that might change with the introduction of their new mid-mount accessory drive system for non-supercharged LS, LS7, and LT1 Chevrolet motors.This system pulls the accessories in tighter to the motor, packing everything in less space with a bracketless mounting system. No spacers are adapters are required to fit the included AC compressor, PS pump, water pump and alternator. A premium option is available with a higher-output alternator as well as a billet crank pulley and an ATI balancer. While the system currently comes with an AC, MSD received a lot of interest in a non-AC version at the show, so it’s possible that one will debut in the near future. Why should you care about this solution? If you are swapping an LS or LT into your small engine bay import or Euro car, getting all of the accessories tucked in tighter may mean the difference between fitting and not. LS all the things!
JE has been turning out high performance forged pistons for a long time now, and they have continually innovated throughout their history.They’ve managed to do it again with their new Perfect Skirt coating. While most piston skirt coatings are designed to be sacrificial and wear out over time, the Perfect Skirt is a screen-printed compressible coating that is designed to last the entire service life of the piston.
Combined with their 2618 alloy pistons, Perfect Skirt provides all of the 2618 benefits without any of the drawbacks typically associated with the smaller-machined (larger bore clearance) application. As the coating is 30 microns thick and designed to take up the cold slack, piston slap is virtually eliminated. And, since the coating is compressible, at operating temperature the piston is able to operate like a normal engine, enabling 2-thousandths clearance (or smaller) as opposed to 6-8 thousandths (or more) depending on the application. Without requiring any special tools to install, this coating allows close to OEM / cast piston tolerances while increasing the overall service life. This sounds like a real winner of a combination of features, and almost all shelf-stock piston applications will come with Perfect Skirt as a standard in the future.
JE isn’t just coming up with new stuff to stick on pistons, they’re also coming out with new pistons, too.Newly introduced are their LT-engine pistons, for new Corvette/Camaro and certain trucks. With various compression heights and dome volumes available, these pistons have a dome designed for the direct injection nature of these LT engines.
K1 Technologies has really dialed up the intensity with their BoostLine forged rods.The tri-pocket design provides enhanced bending resistance and allows them to use less material overall in the correct places, while allowing for removing material where it isn’t needed. This produces an overall lighter rod. Engineered with forced induction in mind and its associated higher cylinder pressures, the BoostLine application list has been expanded to include watercooled Porsche, the new Hellcat Hemi, as well as Chevrolet LS and LT engines. Each rod is individually inspected after manufacturing and comes with a certification card showing the aerospace-accuracy and -precision measurements made using a Zeiss CMM. Finally, ARP 2000 bolts help tie it all together, with an option to use ARP 625 “Custom Age” bolts.
