Don't count on your machine shop to thoroughly clean
the block and crank after they've worked on it.
Use hot water and soap, and then go over the machined
surfaces with carb cleaner to get off any remaining
dirt. |
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We finished up with cleaning the oil passages in
the block and crank with rifle brushes, and wiping
the bores with carb cleaner. Spray some oil over
the machined parts to keep them from getting flash
rust. |
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Begin assembly by checking and gaping the top rings.
KB recommends running 0.0065" per inch of bore,
so for a standard 4.00" bore, we calculated
a 0.026" gap. This is larger than traditional
convention, which is 0.004" per 4.00"
bore, so follow the piston manufacturers recommendations.
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Use a piston upside down to square the ring in the
bore and to lower it down the cylinder. Check the
gap with a feeler gauge. The bottom of the bore
is typically the tightest area due to taper, so
check there. If your engine has been bored oversize,
the bores should be equal diameter from top to bottom.
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We are using file-fit rings from Hastings. To open
the gap draw one end of the ring against a file.
File only in one direction, from inside to out.
Check the gap after a few strokes, as material removes
easily. |
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Once you've finished a ring, organize it so that
it goes back into the cylinder it was gapped for.
We simply tacked them to the wall in the shop and
marked the corresponding cylinder. |
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Install the rings on the pistons. Begin with the
three piece oil rings. The wavy "expander"
ring goes first, then the lower oil ring followed
by the upper. The rings are "spiral cast"
on to the piston, meaning you carefully put them
on with your fingers from one end to the other as
shown. |
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The second and top rings go on with an expander
tool. Note that we have marked the piston tops with
their cylinder numbers and an arrow to designate
the front of the piston. This helps us remember
to stagger the rings correctly. |
