Lapping piston rings

[Tim H]

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

Agreed, any tech articles on stocker engine builds are fascinating. Although some of the methods or parts may be outdated, anyone that can post links to old stocker engine articles ... thanks in advance. I recall a great one on Bobby DeArmonds 427 after he ran a "9".

[R. Thorne]

Dave boertman's article, I believe, showed sealed power's head land top ring (basically a 1/8 inch wide dykes type ring at the top of piston). Ron.

[Dave Ribeiro]

Dwight,

You are dead on with your response about the early days, most people did most of their own work ... They learned from their mistakes & became better racers for it ... Today, it's all about the $$$$ & the spread between the have's & have-nots is growing wider !!! So, your point about the articles is a great one !!! You should never stop trying & learning ...

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland

Good point, Will. Many people are so overwhelmed with the technical part of building engines that they believe that the "high tech" referenced in marketing of services and products is the only source of a competitive engine. So the vast majority of racers "buy" the work and the parts, and the expense goes up (again!). Or people get discouraged because of the cost to the point that they do not participate. Then the sources of information go away since demand diminishes and people do not want to jeopardize their livelihood.


If you can change your mindset to be satisfied with "competitive" not "ET killer", that is the first step to having the inspiration to do your own engine work. After a few serious builds and intense striving for information and skill, it is amazing how much you understand. You then have a reference base of knowledge that helps you to glean more information from everything you read, even advertisements.


Another good article to read is the one about Wade Owens 283 engine:http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/...tor-283-chevy/


I personally want to encourage you. I follow your threads and posts and I sense that you are doing so many things right. Keep it up and never be shy to ask questions.


In reference to the lapping of piston rings, there is some benefit to that. Some companies offered the tools for sale if I remember correctly. The additional piece of understand that needs to go with that is that as you lap the rings, you take material off and so the ring gets thinner. Then the clearance increases for the ring land and sealing efficiency sealing suffers. It is the same effect as wear from running the engine. So, you either start with a thicker ring, or you narrow the ring land. In old days, we would press the piston top to compress the top ring land (not too cool) or machine the piston for some items called "ring land restorers" (looked like radial spacers that fit into a specially machined groove at the top or bottom of the ring land and were made of some hard spring steel). Sealed Power/Speed Pro sold the spacers and a specially shaped tool to fit a lathe. It worked okay and was even legal in Stock eliminator with OEM pistons. Today, I might be inclined to order my pistons with thinner ring lands.


Dwight Southerland

Dwight, posts like this one are the reason that you're one of my (few) heroes!

[Adger Smith]

I might add that I think "The Net" has caused some of the "Old School" tried and true ways of doing things be discounted by the younger generation. The Gen X,Y and now the Millennials are all so computer literate that is where they go for information. The "Net" has created so many keyboard guru's that have little or no experience with actually squeezing the most out of parts and combinations that those methods are lost. I just think there has been a loss of some information in the information age. The X,Y and Millennials can get information, but they are only getting what is quick and easy. The Net has caused the "Hands On" experience that was handed down in Apprenticeship type situations to go by the wayside.
As an Old Fart that has plenty of both good and bad experience that is just my .02 for free, on "The Net"

[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.

[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.

[Jeff Stout]

So this should still be done if ring manufacture doesn't?