400 big cam advice.

Having the crown of a piston coated is a waste of time and money, it will be gone after the first hard pull.

Again I don't know why you are set on PP, you will spend $800 on injectors and probably close to $1600 on a pump, plus a core charge.

DCI charges $450 for a set of built injectors, even less for a factory replacement set. The pump will be much less too.

 

There aren't options, look at how short lived some of the manifold coatings last, combustion temps are even higher and the aluminum grows more under temp and the coating cracks and flakes off.

You can't make an aluminum piston just automatically withstand more heat than the base metal can handle.

The engines you describe also have a more finite injection system, the pt system injection timing varies with fuel pressure application, that is why timing is key.

I can see you have bought into the article mindset that anything PP has said is golden, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

Smoking cat is right.
I don't buy into all that ceramic piston crap either.
I've had hot 3406b cats with aluminum pistons . There wasn't a 400 cummins around that could touch it.
If your turbo is big enough to go with your fuel your dumping into it, and timing is spot on your pistons will be fine. Same ol story, pyro will tell you everything.
Build away and take smokins advise, pp is just hype.

 

Mr Plow: I have been looking for some notes and watching for other posts but I have found neither. How ever I will interject some thoughts for open discussion.
Aluminum melts at about 1200 degrees F. Exhaust temp. gauge a must and you are the master.
Insufficient air in a diesel causes high exhaust temperatures as can be witnessed by an electronic engine which has a leaking CAC and throws high exhaust temp.codes. As swaan says more air!
Charge air coolers have to be the most efficient or all manufacturers would not have gone to them however I have never seen one wrapped around a low flow radiator.
The fuel pump does have to be disassembled in order to replace the throttle shaft seal, find a pump shop to do what you want. RPM 2300-2450? Fuel +15%? Throttle shaft and AFC settings? Most reputable companies will not touch anything above 10% and warranty anything.
Oil bubbling from a head gasket may have come from rocker shaft o-ring, valve cover, or rocker box gasket, I would never twist a head bolt for a minor leak on one of these.
Cam timing: The old Cummings motor heads I knew would spend days jig timing each cam follower box to 1 or 2 degrees above maximum spec. to allow for the higher RPM. Other people do it in reverse which to me is backwards.
A lot can be gained in performance with that engine without twisting head bolts. As sdaniel said look at boat and industrial specs.

 

Don't take this the wrong way because I'm a younger guy to but have you ever really drove a hot 855? It's a different animal if race car shift at lights or miss a gear and pop the throttle to hard you'll have nice coolant streaks running down that fresh block the first trip.

 

Pretty sure Smokincat wasn't trying to belittle you. Been a lot of guys fall into the its "PP or nothing" way of thinking, and I'm sure that's all he was referring to, not tromping on you.
Now, the last 855 I had seeping at the head gasket was a 400, I was loaded for Massachusetts in a 1978 K100 aerodyne. I too ask questions and then went right on and made my trip, not that big of a worry at the moment. Now think back to what was said earlier, spray on, dipped in, coatings are not permanent. If it is mixed / impregnated into the base metal that's a horse of another color. Pop had a 1978 W900 with a 400 cranked up, with 4:11's and a 13spd trans it did quite well pulling 78,000. As mentioned earlier timing on a 855 is the main key and you need fuel and air to go with it, and a Pyro to keep an eye on the exhaust. Simply putting back pressure on the return line will make an 855 pull harder on the mountains, I always used vise grips and played with it till I got it to where I wanted it. Don't get discouraged, there is some good info out here, and it's not all in one place.

 

I have a 1211 (444) In an 87-359 Pete, I have built it from the block up. It has a big cam III full flow cooling system, and air to air. I have a Cummins stock engine kit including pistons in it and timed the cam 5 degrees hot. I installed a HTB 4 turbo. I got a dual fuel line kit from PP and had the pump turned up 10 percent. At the time it was only around $400. for the pump. I sent mine to them and they did the work and sent it back. I never had it on a dyno but It's probably about 700 HP The injectors are stock.... A 1211 CPL should be a STC or step time engine. Some people refer to them as Mechanical N14's They are one of the best big cams to turn up because of the dual timing.As the fuel pressure increases the timing changes so you can run them much hotter (higher fuel pressure) with out burning a hole in the piston. One more thing; they have oil running into the injectors through those lines on top of the rocker box. You said your leak looked like it might be oil. It could be from that. I still have my 359 but don't run it any more. I also have extra step time injectors and other parts and manuals and parts books. I'll be glad to share any info I can. As far as the coated pistons go, I considered them but never tried them.