Lapping piston rings

[GTOMayhem]

Any chance of scanning and posting the article? If not, what issue is it in? The old school tricks for stock eliminator are fascinating.

Rick Thomason
GTOMayhem

[JHeath]

Originally Posted by GTOMayhem

Any chance of scanning and posting the article? If not, what issue is it in? The old school tricks for stock eliminator are fascinating.

Rick Thomason
GTOMayhem

Car Craft November 1974, I will try to scan it

[Greg Reimer 7376]

It seems amazing that 30 years ago, what we had to run to remain legal in Stock Eliminator even worked at all. Those were the days when a run just under the index was something to be proud of. The constant evolution of the sport has been constant,relentless,and outstanding. One of the sure things, there are no more car magazine articles that feature this stuff like there once were. There was a tremendous amount of learning to be had from those years. I got belittled once that"Reimer doesn't know anything but what he reads in car mags". I thought that was a complement. Obviously, that detractor never read many magazines, or he'd know something too.
The evolution of Stock Eliminator into what it is now isn't just motors, but tires,wheels, chassis tweaking,converters,transes, all in all, the cars just aren't the same.I don't know how a new racer could ever do this if it wasn't for the vast herd of experienced racers out there that have a vast pool of useful knowledge. Believe us, it doesn't come easy.

[Eman]

I remember reading that Chevrolet used cleanser as a field fix for seating rings on the early V-8's.

As far as the just pay someone to do it and the lack of tech articles it's the same in bracket racing. Few if any do the work to their cars. I'm constantly amazed at the people that race that do no work at all on their cars.

[Ed Wright]

I still have my stuff for that. When I was running my old C/SM car in the mid '70s I was WD for Manley. Their Pistons were stocked with no top ring groove. 2nd was .043", oil ring was 3/16". I bought them that way.

My ring fixture is/was 4.030" on one end, 3 7/8" +.060". (Had a 292" & 306" engine.) Had a sharp machinist friend that made a fixture to hold the Pistons, and a tool to cut them. After lapping both sides flat while compressed I lapped them to .041". We used .0005" vertical, and .001" back clearance, with .040" vertical gas ports. Had a piece of 3/8" steel plate parralell ground to lap them on, laying in my parts washer, with the pump flooding the paper.

I had one end opened up to 4.070" for my present engine. Not as easy to see on these shiney .028" Total Seal rings as the black .043" rings, but they appear to be flat. Layout ink also comes off first swipe on 400 wet or dry paper.

[Dwight Southerland]

Originally Posted by Eman

I remember reading that Chevrolet used cleanser as a field fix for seating rings on the early V-8's.

Bon-Ami was the choice. I got to experience stopping on the way to Amarillo to a point race, unloading the car and running it up and down the highway applying the Bon-Ami to get stainless steel rings to seat.

[older racer]

lol, I remember aircraft radial engines, had chrome cylinders and cast rings, bon ami was used to get them to quit pumping oil. they could use a lot of oil too . it was a last resort.

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland

Bon-Ami was the choice. I got to experience stopping on the way to Amarillo to a point race, unloading the car and running it up and down the highway applying the Bon-Ami to get stainless steel rings to seat.

Been there. Used Bon-Ami as well. Stainless Dykes rings in my old '56 Jr Stocker.

[Rich Biebel]

The BonAmi trick was a Pontiac approved fix attempt for oil burning engines. I recall hearing of it and to this day if I hear the name BonAmi that's exactly what I think of. Add some to your oil to get your rings to seat.

[Larry Hill]

Good article on Scott's B/SA car, man is that thing fast. Does anyone know what rod bearing to order that is for a crank pin of 2.200'' with a Pontiac rod housing bore of 2.375'' ? I got a neighbor that would love to save his OEM crank.