Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by engineguyBill »

I have used Rebco Machine for piston modifications on many occasions. Always excellent work, good turn-around time and reasonable prices.
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by My427stang »

If anyone has an email address for him or knows him, trying to throw some work his way but I just can't get an answer, even leaving messages. I have called AM, mid-day, end of day, no luck yet

Planning to call Patterson-Elite but with Eric's rep across many sources, I'd really like to try him. I am using the number all over the web, ends in 2828.
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71 F100 SB 4x4, 461 FE, 4 speed, port injected EFI, 3.50s
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by DCal »

316-440-2828 my last contact info
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by Kevin Johnson »

https://web.archive.org/web/20160406184838/http://rebco-machine.com/Contact.cfm wrote:REBCO MACHINE, INC.
1100 W. 37TH STREET N.
WICHITA, KANSAS 67204

Phone 316-440-2828
Fax 316-440-2849
Email  ERICHENKE@REBCOMACHINE.KSCOXMAIL.com
This info is from an old version of his website.
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by My427stang »

Thanks for both of your replies, he called me back, pistons are there.

Appreciate the help, sounds like he may have been off for a week
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
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70 Mustang, 489 FE, TKO-600, Massflo SEFI, 4.11s
71 F100 SB 4x4, 461 FE, 4 speed, port injected EFI, 3.50s
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by Alaskaracer »

So he's modifying pistons? Glad to hear that he does quality work, that's getting harder to find these days. But I do have to ask, if it's a new build, why not just get custom pistons to begin with? Most any piston manufacturer can/will make the pistons to your specs, and some even require a chamber mold to ensure proper clearance/shape/etc.... Not trying to knock what he does, just asking.......

I know that Gibtec, where I get my pistons made, will make them exactly as you want them, and it's the same price as any other custom set. They do offer options that raise the cost, but what difference is there in getting pistons made how you want vs. taking a piston that's not and having it machined to what you want?
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by piston guy »

Eric has done work for me for over 30 years . Back then he worked for Ron Baxter who created Rebco. Ron was famous for doing extremely high quality work at affordable prices. When Ron decided to retire , Eric bought the business and moved it closer to his home in Wichita. His work is second to none. MANY Nascar and Pro Stock race teams had Eric machine their ring grooves and piston tops.
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by englertracing »

piston guy wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2020 12:09 pm Eric has done work for me for over 30 years . Back then he worked for Ron Baxter who created Rebco. Ron was famous for doing extremely high quality work at affordable prices. When Ron decided to retire , Eric bought the business and moved it closer to his home in Wichita. His work is second to none. MANY Nascar and Pro Stock race teams had Eric machine their ring grooves and piston tops.

Eric is the man
Has a can do attitude
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by My427stang »

Coloradoracer wrote: Sun May 31, 2020 9:16 am So he's modifying pistons? Glad to hear that he does quality work, that's getting harder to find these days. But I do have to ask, if it's a new build, why not just get custom pistons to begin with? Most any piston manufacturer can/will make the pistons to your specs, and some even require a chamber mold to ensure proper clearance/shape/etc.... Not trying to knock what he does, just asking.......

I know that Gibtec, where I get my pistons made, will make them exactly as you want them, and it's the same price as any other custom set. They do offer options that raise the cost, but what difference is there in getting pistons made how you want vs. taking a piston that's not and having it machined to what you want?
I generally use Racetec for an affordable 4032 street piston and they can build whatever I want. In this case, the owner changed from a 73 cc head to a 69.5 cc head, and D-cups were too tight. I had Eric open them to a full but nice and shallow dish, which is a better match for the shape of this style chamber. Real easy job (per Eric) and allowed me to use the same pistons. Normally though, yes, Racetech, Diamond, CP, I'd order what I wanted.

I pick ring pack, CH and bore I want too as you likely do. Seems like all the shelf pistons are made deep in the hole, likely to fit old cut blocks, but I try not to cut a 427 or 428 FE more than I need to. Of course Eric didn't change any other measurements, but just making the point I like to go with a custom piston too
Last edited by My427stang on Thu Jun 04, 2020 8:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
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70 Mustang, 489 FE, TKO-600, Massflo SEFI, 4.11s
71 F100 SB 4x4, 461 FE, 4 speed, port injected EFI, 3.50s
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by My427stang »

piston guy wrote: Mon Jun 01, 2020 12:09 pm Eric has done work for me for over 30 years . Back then he worked for Ron Baxter who created Rebco. Ron was famous for doing extremely high quality work at affordable prices. When Ron decided to retire , Eric bought the business and moved it closer to his home in Wichita. His work is second to none. MANY Nascar and Pro Stock race teams had Eric machine their ring grooves and piston tops.
I will get them today, which incidentally, it took UPS longer to ship them from Wichita to Omaha than it did for him to do the work.

Eric was a pleasure to talk to, affordable, and looking forward to seeing the end result. I will report back, but he seems like the real deal and a super nice guy at the same time. Rare these days
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
Plattsmouth, NE
70 Mustang, 489 FE, TKO-600, Massflo SEFI, 4.11s
71 F100 SB 4x4, 461 FE, 4 speed, port injected EFI, 3.50s
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by englertracing »

Coloradoracer wrote: Sun May 31, 2020 9:16 am So he's modifying pistons? Glad to hear that he does quality work, that's getting harder to find these days. But I do have to ask, if it's a new build, why not just get custom pistons to begin with? Most any piston manufacturer can/will make the pistons to your specs, and some even require a chamber mold to ensure proper clearance/shape/etc.... Not trying to knock what he does, just asking.......

I know that Gibtec, where I get my pistons made, will make them exactly as you want them, and it's the same price as any other custom set. They do offer options that raise the cost, but what difference is there in getting pistons made how you want vs. taking a piston that's not and having it machined to what you want?
He fixes mistakes in custom pistons, wether the mistake is the fault of the mfg or the customer.

He is known to all the piston mfgs, infact some of them won't rework pistons they send them to Eric.

Other reasons to send them to rebco
Drilling gas ports,
Under crown lightening a heavy set of slugs to avoid a adding heavy metal,
Cutting ring grooves wider,
Making a valve pocket deeper or larger

He's super reasonable, he's got a number of machines dedicated to operations and bangs the stuff out.

After the worst CS experience of my life in a completely unrelated industry it made me appreciate a hand full of businesses I've dealt with that have been nothing but courteous, informative, and effective. Eric is on the good list....
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by PackardV8 »

OTOH, if one has the best/lightest pistons for the existing build, how likely is there to be so much excess deck thickness a dish can be safely cut?
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by dhidaka »

Going by Rebco next week as Eric's shop is just a few miles from me. He has 9 Bridgeports (I think 9), CNC, tracer mill each set up for a different operation. Also, does coating on pistons. I have watched him work. He is very meticulous, unassuming and a great guy. Nice to conveniently get piston work done.
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Re: Experience w/ Rebco Machine piston mods?

Post by My427stang »

PackardV8 wrote: Thu Jun 04, 2020 5:13 pm OTOH, if one has the best/lightest pistons for the existing build, how likely is there to be so much excess deck thickness a dish can be safely cut?
Well, I can't speak for others and what they are willing to risk, but the Racetec he modified for me were a D-cup and the same blank they use for a full dish. So per Racetec, they were happy with my plan to just continue the cut to a full dish, they apparently can't do what Eric does and recommended him. Eric did comment on resulting thickness before I asked and said we were in good shape.

Also, these were the appropriate (and maybe best if cost/benefit is a factor) 4032 forged piston for the job, but plenty of room to be lighter if the application warranted it. End weight was 475.2 grams. Racetec tends not to be the place for extreme custom light pistons, I'd probably go to Diamond or other higher-end companies, but in this case, Racetec allows an easy custom CH, metric ring, etc. I just had them on the shelf for a bigger chamber that nobody (including me) wants too badly anymore. The right piston for a 580-ish HP 5800 rpm street/strip FE.
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
Plattsmouth, NE
70 Mustang, 489 FE, TKO-600, Massflo SEFI, 4.11s
71 F100 SB 4x4, 461 FE, 4 speed, port injected EFI, 3.50s
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