Station Two: Pistons and Connecting Rods

The Cobra Jet forged pistons and piston rings are sourced from Mahle and the H-beam steel connecting rods come from Manley. Each engine has a two person build team that works in tandem on each engine during the build process.

For piston installation, one team member uses a piston tool to collapse the rings while the other member uses a guide to direct the connecting rod big-end over the crank throw. Once the piston and rod assembly is aligned, a piston installation tool is used to knock the piston into the bore.

Once seated, the piston cap and rod bolts are installed. When all eight pistons/rods are installed on the crank, the piston cap bolts are torqued with a computerized torque wrench.

Station Three: Oil Pump and Seals

After the pistons are in place, the front and rear crank seal and oil pump are installed. The high volume gear driven oil pump is driven off the crank and is sourced from the GT500 parts bin.