87 piston in 88+ cylinder

[PAlt250r]

well, my project lt250r is more of a frankenstien than i thought it was, seems that my jug is an 88+. is it possible to run an 87 piston in an 88+ cylinder? any negative effects on port timing i should take into consideration? i thought i read somewhere that an 88 or up piston can be used in an 87 jug, with a bit of modification to the piston, so, will it work the other way around? i browsed through 25 or so pages of threads, but didn't find anything about this, might not have been looking hard enough.

[flotek]

i wouldnt be throwing a used 87 piston in it if thats what your thinking ,get a wiseco/cometic topend kit for a 88 ,couldnt be much more than 100 $ and youll be insured from piston seizures if you install it right

[Flattrack]

arround 80.00 some bucks for the piston kit ...

[PAlt250r]

a friend of mine gave me a brand new wiseco piston, still in the box, its for an 87 engine, my cylinder is an 88 or newer, i haven't looked too much into what year it is exactly, thats why i want to know if i can make it work. I'm not about to buy another new piston if i don't have to. The only difference that i could think of is if the wristpin is mounted higher in one piston than the other, I'm gonna measure the piston that is currently in the engine, and the new one i have, if the difference is very slight, i'm gonna go ahead and use it, worst case is that it won't run, then i have to buy another piston. I'm not gonna be out on any dunes, or racing, so i'm not too concerned if its making as much power as it could. thanks for your replies though.

[Flattrack]

JUst watch your piston to head clearance..

[fiveOnick]

I am not sure what the difference is. I dont think the pin height or anything is different but I could be wrong. Probably just the design of the piston, personally I prefer the 86 honda piston. Just check it out throughly like wade said clearences and ring pin placement relative to the ports, etc etc.