Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi,

I am currently having the 1098cc engine from my van rebuilt with new pistons and liners, the engineer doing the work strongly advises against using County pistons and recommends Hepolite instead but they are more than twice the price of the County ones. I want it to be as reliable as possible because the van will be in regular sensible use including a bit of motorway work when back on the road but the costs are already mounting after a light body restoration and full respray. I don't mind spending the money if it's worth it but don't want to spend more than I need to, i'm not going to be racing it!

All the Minor spares places seem to sell County only as well as rebuilt engines which I assume use County pistons, so they can't be that bad?

So has anyone used either of them got anything good or bad to say?

Thanks

Mark

Which ever pistons you use, fit high compression car pistons not the low compression van pistons. Hepolite pistons are well known, never heard of County pistons

2nd vote for never hearing of 'county' pistons. Who selling these ? But at the same time expensive Hep pustons may be an overkill for a standard engine.

Moss and the MG Owners Club spares centre sell these. I have put them in my rebuilt 1275 but yet to fire up so can't comment on how good they are. My guess is that if these two organisations think they are OK - they must be OK. Agree that Hep pistons, whilst undoubtedly high quality, maybe excessive on a standard engine but if money no object then go for it ;-)

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'd also never heard of 'County' before I started this little adventure but ESM and Bull Motif both sell only these, Charles Ware list Hepolite on their website but when I called they are actually County that are on the shelf.

One thing I hadn't considered is the High/Low compression difference between car and van, is it just a matter of fitting the high comp car pistons or are there any other areas that need altering Head/Gasket etc? Also most of the spares places only list one type of standard 1098cc piston so I assume these are the more common high compression ones?

Thanks

Mark

Yes- I believe it is just down to the pistons. The head and everything else other than the pistons is the same on HC and LC. It's just the LC pistons have a larger dish in them. I think you'd be pushed to find any LC pistons nowadays in any case, except perhaps for NOS items somewhere.

Standard pistons will be a reference to the piston size (standard, +20,+40,+60 etc.) rather than the compression. I would guess that unless it specifically says so, the piston will be high compression as this is what most cars (and vans these days) run on.

I bought a set of County pistons from birmingham minor centre. 2.5 years (27,000 miles) ago. Not had them out since putting them in, so no idea how they're doing. But they still work! Not had any problems in that department!

Hepolite used to be THE pistons and rings. I don't know if they are still made or where they are made, but I have always fitted the best quality whenever I could.