GRINDING THE RAILS When grinding the thin steel oil rails on a ring grinder, lay it on a used cast iron second ring and grind them both together. This reduces the chance of the rail biting or fluttering and damaging it. If you’re careful, you can grind the two for...

END GAP ESCAPE PATH   I often feel that people will gap the top oil ring rail improperly. The top oil ring rail needs to have a gap that is the same as the 2nd (scraper) ring above it, at operating temp. Gapping it the same is a safe adjustment. The tapered second...

FITTING IN A SIZE SMALLER After file fitting piston rings to get the perfect end gaps, we need to remove all burrs left from the filing process. Despite all our best efforts, sometimes we install a ring on the piston and still notice a little drag when testing for...

CARBIDE GROOVE CLEANER I needed a narrow grooving tool to quickly clean carbon from piston ring grooves, for an engine restoration project. All the usual grooving tools were too wide, however a carbide tipped circular saw blade was a perfect fit. Using an angle...

FILL IT TO THE TOP If you have a piston with a dome volume, you're unsure of, here's an easy way to check. Wrap a single layer of thick packing tape around the head land, taller than the dome. It will maintain the full round shape if you're careful. Fill it to the tip...

IT’S HIP TO BE SQUARE It's tough to end gap rings in a canted deck engine such as a 409 Chevy. Turn a scrap piece of cylinder sleeve to about .003’ smaller than the bore. Make sure it’s long enough. Use that and it will allow you to push the rings down the bore...