Piston designs and construction methods have advanced considerably over the lifespan of the internal combustion engine; these have been one of the major reasons for the advancement of engine technology through this time period.

Master Engine Machinist John Edwards and the gang at Costa Mesa R&D in California have been around the automotive machining industry for years — multiple decades, in fact — and they’ve seen it all. Edwards regularly assembles videos of this type, covering all sorts of automotive machining topics, but we happen to think this is one of his best; it’s a piston history lesson covering some of the most interesting features found in automotive pistons over the years.

He covers various designs, talks about the basic evolution and even the special features that some of the pistons have used to perform specific tasks over the years.

One that we found interesting is the first piston in the segment, a Buick/Olds/Pontiac slug which has super-wide top and second rings, then a pair of oil rings to help control the oil. There’s a vertical slot in the side of the piston that helps control expansion without allowing the piston to seize in the bore, and numerous holes in the oil ring areas to allow the oil to drain back after it’s scraped from the cylinder wall. There’s also a slot in the pin area to allow for expansion, and the piston pin is locked in place with a screw, of all things.

There’s a cast-iron piston (!), he discusses the evolution of the original gapless ring design that arose from the piston reconditioning process, then moves into more modern designs and discusses some of the really interesting features and benefits. This is one video that’s worth every second you spend watching it.

Edwards has expertise that’s accumulated over fifty years of working on engines, and is happy to share it with us. Thanks for doing so, John!