XRN engineering

Has anyone used engine parts from these guys? What was the quality/finish/fit?

Thanks,

greg

Never heard of them, do they have a website?

https://www.xrnengineering.co.uk/

I saw a set of 87mm piston and liners for sale on EBay and I asked the seller who the supplier was. Since the sale price is about 1/2 what TRF offers the same setup for, I was curious if anyone has used anything from them in the past.

Looks as if XRN is as much a distributor as an actual manufacturer. Their web site mentions "OE brands" as well as current manufacturers such as County.

As is often the case, a given price in the UK may look attractive to those of us in the US, but figure shipping often eats up much or all of the difference. And there are the occasional Customs fees, etc. ...

If you really want some good advice, call Darryl Uprichard at Racetorations. He's been building hot rod Triumphs for years across the pond and utilizes custom forged cranks and the like... much cooler parts than we have here in the States, but you pay for all that stuff too.

He resales a lot of stuff, but almost everything he sells is race proven by his own company.

Hi Greg,

Sorry to say, I'd be pretty leery of buying a set of pistons and liners off eBay from an unkown seller who won't give a straight answer about who manufactured them. You usually "get what you pay for" and pistons and liners are not something I'd want to scrimp on.

AE, Cosworth, Omega and JE are the top brands that come to mind. I've heard generally good and few not-so-good about Mahle (mostly the negatives have been they generally aren't as well matched for weight as the others, bu ta good machinist can correct that). I think JE, Omega and Cosworth are all forged (racing) pistons. AE and Mahle are not. Note, forge pistons tend to be more expensive and used to be a problem on the street. I think more recent developments in design and materials have made them more streetworthy, but not helped bring the price down.

JE are U.S.-made, Mahle are German, the rest are U.K.-made. AE are hard to find, not sure they even still make em.

Shannon is right, Darryl Uprichard (aka "DKU") will give good advice. He's the one who figured out putting 89mm in the TR engine, in the first place.

In the U.S., Ken Gillanders at www.britishframeandengine.com imports and distributes DKU's stuff at some savings to us. He's also great to talk with and can give you good advice. He's in So. Calif. and works with Carillo, might be able to get JE Pistons, which are very good, but likely more expensive. He offers a "rebuilder kit" in 87mm size, but I'm not sure what brand.

87mm is the most common upgrade size because 87.2mm was the largest factory overbore and that's the absolute size permissible under FIA and SCCA racing rules for production classes.

89mm are the largest that can be stuffed into the block without any sort of modification. As large as 92mm pistons have been fitted into the old 4-cyl. (making it almost 2.5L!).

Besides Ken, who is a good source for everything from Racetorations, others in the U.S. who should be most helpful:

www.bpnorthwest.com has a good reputation (I haven't used them yet, don't know the piston brand they sell)
John Swauger at The Roadster Factory www.the-roadster-factory.com (they sell Mahle, as you are aware)
Ted Schumacher at www.tsimportedautomotive.com (don't know what brand he sells)

In England:

Neil Revington at www.RevingtonTR.com. (sells Mahle too and states they are good quality)
Chris Connoly at www.cambridgemotorsport.com (sells JE Pistons and Carrillo conrods imported from the USA)
And, of course Darryl at www.racetorations.com (sells Omega)

I know I'm forgetting some names, those are just who comes to mind right now.

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Hey Greg,
I just returned for refund a brand new set of Mahle 87mm pistons and sleeves to TRF for the '58 TR3 engine I was gonna build. (TRF took them back without question) So, they are available (they might even have that set in still in stock, but I doubt it. a number of people want them) but pricey.


Bill

Thanks Bill. I am a bit away from the engine build just yet. When I see these "deals" on EBay I get side tracked from my frame, suspension, & body work since I know I have that big purchase still to make.

Alan,

Have you used those 89s that are on British Frame's web site?

[ QUOTE ]
Alan, Have you used those 89s that are on British Frame's web site?

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Hi Greg,

No, I haven't yet. Might be soon though. Give Ken a call and chat about them. He'll be happy to tell you whatever you need to know, I'm sure.

BTW, be sure you have plenty of minutes on your calling plan, if you use a cell phone to call him! Ken loves to chat about Triumphs! He's been racing and building them since the mid-50s. Last I heard, he still has the oldest single-owner Triumph in existence (a TR2, bought new).

Best days to reach Ken during racing season is Mon-Thu... He's off to one track or another most Fri, Sat & Sun.

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A 2.3 TR4 motor would be pretty cool. Too bad most vintage regulations limit the bore to 87.5. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonono.gif

talking of cosworth(mentioned by alan myers) i tried to order six pistons,they would not allow an order of six,they said that 48 was there minimum order,but would do 24,(a twenty four pistoned spitfire....now theres a thought.......)the guy at cosworth said he would look in deleted stock,have'nt heard from them in over a week,guess they don't cater for mere mortals anymore!