the feeler gauge is a nascar "trick" to make sure rod caps are even or parallel to each other otherwise the bearings will be torqued uneven and one side could be .015 the other could be .005 it happens during engine builds that you will have 1 bearing that once it tightened engine is hard to turn over. this help reduce rotating friction rod caps are not self aligning that is why some builders pin rod and mains so the are true ---------- Post added at 02:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:14 PM ---------- you will put the biggest you can fit in there and torque rods it would be better if you had 2 and line them up with rod bolts to keep them aligned
ok i have them stamped and im ready to remove them but, be fore i do, what should i do with the bearings while they are out? how do i keep them safe? and should i also keep them with the same rods? ---------- Post added at 08:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 PM ---------- also, anyone know what a shop might charge to remove old and press new pistons onto the rods? Just a rough estimate.
FYI,nascar rods are self aligning(the caps are doweled to the rod body),that nascar "trick" must be from the early 1960s,even then,the rod bolts centered the caps on the rods. There is no way that rod bearing clearance would have a .010" difference on the same rod journal,unless the rod journal is ground on a very steep angle,or two different rod bearings are used. And to make sure the rod bolts are "torqued even" nascar engine builders tighten the bolts by using a rod bolt stretch gauge,and measure how much the bolt actually stretches to get the proper tightening force on the bolt. And the reason rod and(or) main bearings are pinned,is so they would be harder to make them spin in the housing bore. Sorry dude,some one lied to you.o No:
You could put the bearings back in the rods,and snug the bolts up,then rap some tape around the rod to protect them. This way you can keep them on the same rod. Not sure what a machine shop charges to do that anymore,I mostly use floating pistons now,but it shouldn't be to much. Derek
well the old pistons are out and im ready to take them to get the new ones swapped on, I lined up the pins with the new and old pistons and the new ones actually look the smallest bit taller but i wont know for sure untill i get them in there. When i re-install what should i clean everything with? then just re-lube and torque and good to go? Ill put rubber ends back on the bolts, all the bearings and caps on the same rods and all the rods marked for what piston number they were before.
Update! the new pistons are on the rods and the ring sizes were the same and swapped over. Instalation was going goo untill i got to cylinder #6.. have a look for yourself I havent pulled the piston to see whats going on but doest anyone have any guesses? The flash on the picture makes it a little worse then it seems. i wont have time to work on it until sunday. The mark is clearly visible, however when i run my fingernail over i can not feel it at all. Where do i go from here? after figuring out what caused to im guessing ill have to hone it? i really didnt want to have to take the engine down anymore :ball:
You need to remove that piston,some thing is going on with one of the rings on it,maybe an oil ring?You might of overlapped the oil ring spanner,and the end of the ring is sitting on top of it. And be careful when you take it out,you could do more damage if there is a broken ring doing that. Try not to spin the engine until that issue is fixed,the more you spin it,the worse it will get. To fix the cylinder wall,if you can't feel that with you fingernail,you shouldn't have to hone it,you could re-scuff it with a scoth-brite scuff pad.If its on an engine stand,turn it upside down when you do this,so no debis falls on the crank. Rub on a 45 degree angle over the area far enough to do the whole area that needs attention. Then reverse your 45 degree angle so you make an X,that blends in with the rest of the cross hatch in the cylinder.Doing all that while its upside down will let gravity help you,leaving it upside down,clean the cyliner with some brake clean,or whatever kind of parts cleaning solvent of your choice.(don't use a red shop rag,those will leave a lot of lint behind that could clog oil passages when it is started)GL
ok i was gonna ask if i could turn it upside down and try maybe just the ball hone on the cylinder.. would that be better then a scuff pad or to much?
I would suggest keeping the machine shop hone, it will retain more oil to lube rings and last longer. , looks like a ring folded over on install ,lube it up and pull it back out, just take your time installing . you might need a extra ringset now.
and just use the scratch pad? If the rings are bad does this mean i has to replace all of the rings on every piston? ---------- Post added at 02:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:05 PM ---------- well i got it pulled and lookey what i found... its the very bottom oiler ring spacer its a little bent.. Still doesn't catch anything on my fingernail so at least the cylinder wall is alright.. What can i do about this? i highly doubt you can buy just this one ring maybe someone has a random ring for a .040 piston?ray:
I would get a set of rings and replace the damaged one. You can put rest of pistons in . You only need to get a set of rings for one piston not entire engine as long as you get same brand and type. ---------- Post added at 07:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:50 PM ---------- Did u get a chance to measure how far below deck the pistons sit?
That is pretty good. If you go with big valves that will take up a little cc in combustion chamber and flow better you will make some decent power from your engine.
So what can i do about this oiler ring? If i buy a new set of rings for this one piston do i just slide on the spacer or should i replace the other rings as well?
Im not sure which way your going with that. because its just a spacer and not a compression ring i dont see why i would need to replace them all.
Its an oil retension ring you would probably wear that cylinder faster or burn oil it also retains the wave ring so consider it important. You might be able to file it smooth and reuse but I would get a ring.
im not going put it in without it or anything im trying to find just that ring, the last thing i want to do is spend $25 for this one peice though, so im just trying to figure my options. I bent it straight but im not sure i want to put it back in
Ok i just got off the phone with paul at JE pistons and he is looking into just the oiler ring set up for me and said he found something for it but is supossed to give me a call back about it shortly. Now that im getting on with that Time for the heads. Do i need to get over sized valves? Im planing on buying new valves anyways as the old ones had some pitting. Are the bigger valves going to be worth the extra cost? How much extra cost in machining will it cost? Im planning on just gasket matching the heads myself, then taking the heads to a machine shop to be shaved down to 51ccs (still dont know current cc) Hardened seats, valve job, new springs (stage 1??) and anything else?
