Piston and connecting rod assembly having improved cooling characteristics

A piston and connecting rod assembly for use in an internal combustion engine, said assembly comprising:

• a piston adapted for reciprocal movement within a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, said piston including a crown and a skirt depending from said crown, a body extending below said crown with said skirt disposed annularly about at least a portion of said body, an inner cooling gallery defined in said body beneath said crown, an outer cooling gallery defined between said skirt and said body and beneath said crown, and a pin bore formed in said body;
• a connecting rod adapted to interconnect said piston and a crank shaft so as to translate the reciprocal movement of the piston into rotational movement of the crank shaft, said connecting rod having at least one end with a bore extending therethrough and adapted to be aligned with said pin bore in said piston;
• and
• said at least one end of said connecting rod being in fluid communication with said inner cooling gallery of said piston and including a reservoir formed on said end which is adapted to collect coolant therein.