Hey all, Any recommendations for brand/source for moly piston rings? Prices are all over the place! 462” with TA stage 1 ported heads, SPX, solid cam, 10.5 :1 forged pistons are .020” over. Would like file fit rings... Which brings up the next question. I’d like to do the file fitting myself though I’ve never done so. Plenty of how-to’s out there but appreciate any other tips and tricks
Get a ring seating tool, makes it easier since you will be inserting and removing a lot and help prevent scratching or gouging the bores. Get a good ring filer. (the ones I use) TOTAL SEAL Piston Ring Squaring Tool Proform 66785 Piston Ring Grinder I use Hastings rings. I set the block so the bore is vertical, and start by placing the back curve away from me with the open ends towards me and set the back of the ring about 1/16th inch in the bore and press the ring gap together and the ring will set in the top of the bore, then use the ring seat tool to set it proper depth. I do this with all top rings in all bores, then measure the gap and make notes. I keep a sandwich baggie for each bore and each set of rings to keep track. Do the same thing for the middle ring, and the oil rings. I then take the largest and smallest and "move them around" to try and get the closest end gaps I can before filing. It is a bit more time to do this, but I figure the less cutting on a ring, the less likely I'll over cut. Sneak up on the ring cutting, better to cut and check 10 times, than to over cut one time. Important that you keep the cuts square and have a parallel gap when in the bore. For gap measuring. (follow the ring manufacture's numbers first) if not provided... multiply .oo4 x bore (don't forget the .0x0 over) and that will give you the correct gap. Some folks will go .005 x bore for the second ring (to help prevent over pressure between the top and center rings and allow blow by to the bottom). Stagger the ring gaps. Others will have their choices and what works and "don't do".
If you do not use a gapless Total seal ring then your tossing atleast 5 hp down the drain along with longer intervals between oil changes, and it's not good to price shop for something as critical as Rings! If you use a File to do your rings the main thing to focus on is to only cut with the file on the in stroke , if you do it on the out bound stroke you can flake the Moly off the face of the ring and then your toast before you even start the motor! The next major thing to tackle is to brake over all the sharp edges at the end of every ring , even the oil rail rings so that they do not grind a slot up & down the Bore or open up the ring groove in the piston besides bringing a ton of fiction to the party! Most folks use a Soap stone for this or 400 grit paper. Also it's far better to have .0015" more gap then wanted then less!!!
Well crap! Now you have me scared! Sounds very technique sensitive. And another $100 in supplies to do this. Is it really worth it?
No, don't let the information scare you. Sometimes, when laid out in full, the taks seems daunting, but this is fairly simple steps, just a lot of them all at once. Yes, it is most definitely worth it to be done correctly. (all manner of people bragging of slapping an engine together and it runs, and far more who won't admit that an engine was ruined that you never hear tell of) It's not difficult, just important to do correctly. Since you are dealing with 8x4 (upper, middle and two oil rings) per hole, the parts in a "fit/measure/work/repeat" process, it will take a little time. (it's more tedious than difficult) You can get lucky and hit a set of rings that fit out of the box, but if not, you have to decide to do it yourself or have someone do it for you. There is no shame in paying someone, but $100 for tools and your time going into how many thousands of dollars of your build, it is a pretty small amount for doing it correctly. Even "no file" rings must be test fit and measured, and sometimes you still end up filing if the bore/hone is too tight. Worse, is a bore that is too loose (bore/hone more than what it was supposed to be) and your "no file" rings gap ends up too large.
If you take your time it can be done with a new fine cut type file while using a bench vise and two scraps of wood to hold the ring and get it done perfectly fine! The key is to take your time even if it take you 2 hours per cylinder . And yes, even no gap out of the box rings should have the ends checked and dressed if need be! Do you have any old rings to practice on?
Just be careful if you are using a moly top and regular second. That second ring cuts much quicker and can get a big gap in a hurry, or so I've been told, haha. Take your time. Not hard, just time consuming. But this is one of the reasons some engines just run better than others. A blueprint job takes a lot of time and people are unwilling to put it in to get the reward.
Thanks! I just emailed Total Seal to get a catalog number. 455 +.020 Hope to hear back soon so I can start assembling the beast
