Piston Deck Clearance Guide

It is very common with new engines for the piston to be “in the hole”. This simply means the piston is not going to the top of the cylinder. You can raise the compression of your engine by selecting the right connecting rod for your engine. Use a straight edge and feeler gauges to determine how far the piston is in the hole and choose one of our extended length connecting rods. It is not uncommon to see pistons .020” or more from the top of the deck. Be careful with this measurement as the piston should not stick out above the deck! This measurement must be taken with the piston at top dead center. 

Insert feeler gauge under the straight edge and measure the distance as indicated in the red area beneath the straight edge.