[Stuckinda60s]

One thing that happened was that they didn't give enough ring gap for the KB pistons. HWYSTR455 had a good point. What happens with the hyper eutectic pistons is that they transfer more heat to the top rings and therefore need more gap. It's critical that they have it, otherwise the rings will butt when they expand and dig into the cylinder walls. This causes the piston top to break off like yours did. Check the ring gap on your remaining pistons and post what it is. If I remember right, it should be about .028 for a 389. Seems to me you may have a legitimate beef with the builder. The nut being shiny probably means the nut was loose and moving against the cap. If you don't know how to check the gap, let us know.

Rich

[HWYSTR455]

convgto- Dam! That was the numbers 389!?! Yeah, I'd be ticked, putting it mildly! Again, good luck on all that, hope it all works out for you. HWYSTR, yes, stands for exactly that, the Deep Purple song Highway Star, which is what I named my car for, are the tags on it, got them back when personal plates first came out! And Ken, your dating yourself saying you saw them in 74! Heh-heh! (guess just like I was for the personal plates comment!) That was the 'Made in Japan' tour I believe, they're best, and was a world tour. Maybe that was 72. Anyway, believe it or not, they still tour, though without Blackmore. The album 'Burn' was one of my favorites...

Stuckinda60s- First, have to say, I like your handle! As for ring lands, I saw that too, and honestly, because the way the cap was 'pulled' off, along with the top of the piston, that's exactly what I feel it was. The ring was too big, the assembly heated, the piston hung in the bore, and it pulled the cap off. The crank swung around and just beat the crap out of it then. The rod nut could have been torqued right, but since it was hammered, the side that let go first polished it as it was coming apart. Of course, this is all hyper-thetical! The top of the piston could also have been pulled apart when the crank swung around and hit the bottom of it while it was at the bottom of the bore...

[HWYSTR455]

Made in Japan was the '72 world tour, '74 was the Burn tour, which was the first album with Coverdale from Whitesnake, just had to look it up! If you haven't listened to the album 'Burn', I suggest you do, which is recognoized as their' best since Machine Head...(Dam I'm old!)

[convgto]

Appreciate your comments diddly, I havent heard from arp yet on the letter but like i said if i get it i will be going after them. I know i should have got my motor back from them right away but i was trying to save my loses, well they finally go t my motor done ( sleeve, weld the pump pump shaft back on, clean up block and heads and suppose to give me a 1010 389 crank, well they said theydidnt say that and all was to be 300.00 and it was another 375.00 w/o crank, they want to turn my crank because of a gauge (sp) its alredy 3030, thats bright at 5000.00 in that motor plus i need a whole new rebuild machine work and parts. Boy i hope i get that letter from arp.
Stuckinda60s looking at the pics are those KB hypert. pistons or are they just standard KB pistons They where suppise to be hypert., but someone told me they were not?
hwystar it must have been 72 cause it was the made in tokyo tour, i was a drummer back then and i couldnt hardly wait for the drum solo but by then all i was just seeing purple lights. Ken

[Stuckinda60s]

I really can't tell by looking at the pictures, they look like hyper's. The grain structure looks different from standard cast. They're obviously cast and they're 389 pistons from the position of the valve reliefs. They're not a cheap casting which is what I would expect if they had been switched. They also seem to have a polished surface which is what the hyper's have, looking like a forged. Where the break occurred is in the area where the rings would be most apt to dig in due to the thrust and slight rocking of the piston on the pin. The ring gap would not have been as critical with a standard casting and any qualified machinist would almost definitely have gotten it right. The problem is that guys have so much experience that they no longer read the instructions, they get arrogant and end up getting stung.

Maybe someone else can say for certain that the pistons are or are not hyper's by the pictures, they look like them to me. You could always take the pieces to another machinist and they could probably tell you.

Rich

[convgto]

Thanks stuck i will check with my new machinist, Ken

[convgto]

Well, I heard from arp today, and like i thought they wont give me a letter stating my rod bolts werent torqed properly, and them stating they werent torqed properly, but he will send my parts to a lab and they will give me letter at only $1100.00-$1200.00. Just spend more. I sure would love to go after that shop, my new machinist said i should go back and give the shop the info on the rod bolts and see what happens, before going further what do you guys think?
pissed, Ken

[HWYSTR455]

Ah, Tokyo, Japan, knew it was one of those! Didn't realize they were still pumping out albums either! Drum solo, like in Space Truckin'? Anyway, good luck on the engine, sure you'll figure something out there!

[convgto]

I called a lawyer today, meeting him on thursday. Its to bad its coming down to this. Ken

[convgto]

I see i have 684 hits on this thread so some of yall must be interested in this soap opera, I went to the lawyer today and of coarse i have a case according to him if i give him a 5000.00 retainer and 1750.00 of that will be for a demand letter at 175.00 a hour, so it takes 10 hours to right it, RIGHT? After hearing that i decided to call the machine shop and see if he will reason since i have the statement from ARP, he said he is tired of bending over backwards for me, i told him if he was bending over backwards i would have a running numbers matching motor in my car, and long story short, he said get your lawyer and i will get mine. Well i guess we are going to ok corral. Man this sucks. I would like to hear from more of the 684 lookers. Ken

[Doug Christie]

I don't know what it's like where you live, but we have small debt's court here. It's informal and made for the layman. Don't need a lawyer to go there. You do need to be organised, methodical and have your facts straight. Look up the meanings of the laws you think he has broken and that you will rely on. We also have a Legal Aid Society that will refer you to a Lawyer that, for a nominal fee, ($15.00) will sit down with you and give you advise as to the merits of your case. It takes a lot of time on your part but may be the way to go.

Or, you just sit outside his business with a sign on your vehicle stating the facts of your predicament, (without slandering him or his business).

[convgto]

Hey thanks Doug, I will check into the small debts court and I did use a lawyer referral service to talk to the lawyer, 25.00 for first meeting. I went and picked up my old crank today, the one the machine was supose to replace, and he said wait i have got to takle pics of it, what a bluffer. Ken

[Brs75]

Registered for the forum specifically to find out what happened with this fiasco...any updates?

[Half-Inch Stud]

My Opinion: Eat the loss, and move on.

[convgto]

Thats what i am doing, letting it go and chalking it up as a learning experience. The cost of going after them was getting more than my loss. I will just keep bad mouthing kammer and kammer of huber heights, ohio.

[Robert Williams]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

My Opinion: Eat the loss, and move on.

Ditto what HIS said, you live in Ohio, you should have had the Kauffman boys build your engine.