[SEL] I need source to buy some 2618 aluminum piston alloy

[Richard Allen]

Hi, guys, 

I am on a quest for finding some aluminum bar stock. I am helping a
friend with rebuilding a small 1943-vintage stationary engine that
needs new pistons. The specially designed aluminum alloy used for
making machined pistons (as opposed to cast or forged aluminum pistons)
is type 2618 aluminum alloy. So far, after doing several pretty
exhaustive Internet searches, I haven’t had any luck at all in finding
a place that sells 2618 bar stock. I used Googol, Lycos, and Dogpile
search engines. I found probably two dozen places listed under “2618
aluminum alloy” that sell custom made 2618 aluminum alloy pistons, but
I didn’t find a single one that sells just plain round bar stock.
The little stationary engine is pretty interesting and could even be
described as cute. Its manufacturer is unidentified but it appears to
be a Continental because it has the same parts layout and consequently
looks like one. It was used for running a small World War Two era
30-volt DC generator (marked General Electric December 1943), probably
used for powering a large military radio transmitter or as an aircraft
battery charger/power supply for powering up a bomber’s electrical
system while parked. The engine is a four-cylinder flat head design
with a bore and stroke of 2-inches by 2-inches. The engine is in good
shape but I had to sleeve the cylinders to repair a botched bore job
that ran into the water jacket. When a previous mechanic tried
rebuilding it he could not get pistons small enough that had the right
size wrist pins and had it bored out to accept larger pistons from a
Briggs and Stratton engine or some such thing and ended up ruining it.
If I can find where to get the 2618 aluminum alloy I can make the
pistons no problem. 

Work and play safely,

Richard Allen