i need a new ring compressor

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clutchdust

Millionaire Playboy
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i was trying to drop the pistons in my little 260 datsun project engine but that crappy band type ring compressor foiled just about every attempt. i need to get a decent one, not a professional level one mind you, but a decent one that works. anybody found a decent one at any of your local parts houses? give me some feedback.
 
Get one of those tapered aluminum ones, they are the best way to install ringed pistons. You can also get them where they are slit and you can adjust them with a band clamp.
 
geez, TT, you are making crap hard for me. problem, for me anyway, is i'm all over the map with what i'm doing. my current project is this little 260 datsun motor where the pistons are only ~3 inch. the next project in the pipeline, which is currently in the machine shop, is my 4.3 v-6 with a 4.030 piston. then after that, i have a 454!
i could probably end up dropping $150 on stinking ring compressors.:suicide:
 
Those will work, I have one too but prefer not to use it. Somehow they seem to cause more ring breakage, especially if the deck to bore transition is not chamfered.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
Those will work, I have one too but prefer not to use it. Somehow they seem to cause more ring breakage, especially if the deck to bore transition is not chamfered.
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Some years ago, the last engine I attempted to help assemble was a old Pontiac 400 , using that style compressor, that Lisle.....and it lasted about 20 miles, tore it down with all sorts of broken up rings and piston ring lands....we didn't have to tap all THAT hard to get the pistons down into the bores....

but I figger we must have....I have NEVER been successful doing short block assy work, not once....I let the machine shop do it, as they have everything there anyway, so why not do the assy work and lemme outta here??

I do the heads, cams, chains, all that crap, but fitting pistons gives me a fit....

:waxer:
 
see, that's very similar to the one i'm using now. PITA. granted, the one i'm using doesn't have the wrench. i have to use a ratchet, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. but i think maybe the biggest problem is the latching part slips. of course, i can get it tight but i agree with TT, without a chamfer in the bore, they can be pretty damn tricky.
 
bit my lip and went ahead and bought a new band clamp one like the one big2bird linked. it's very similar to the duralast (autozone) one i was using last night. for whatever reason, it works SOOOOOOOOO much better. i only had to reset it twice doing all six pistons. i must have tried for 20 minutes last night with the old one just to drop one piston in. POS.
 
clutchdust said:
bit my lip and went ahead and bought a new band clamp one like the one big2bird linked. it's very similar to the duralast (autozone) one i was using last night. for whatever reason, it works SOOOOOOOOO much better. i only had to reset it twice doing all six pistons. i must have tried for 20 minutes last night with the old one just to drop one piston in. POS.
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HUmpfgh....:bonkers::goodnight:
 
ILL make this REALLY SIMPLE!
this type works far better than the others, its nearly impossiable to tell from the pictures here but the inside dia. is tapered and the rings compress as the piston passes thru the ring compressor ring, and they work far easier than those sheet steel band with a radiator clamp style compressors like the one mentioned above, yes they only work over a limited range in bore sizes say 4.00-4.200 then youll need the next larger size, but Ive got 5 in my tool box and that coveres 3.875"-4.650"
pro-66766.jpg

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=PRO-66766&N=700+115&autoview=sku

Proform 66766 $31


how they work is you clamp it around your piston and adjust it to that size before the rings are installed so the piston is a snug slide thru fit, then, install the rings, dip the rings and piston in a small bucket of clean oil, place the compressor over the cylinder on the block with the base firmly held against the block deck and push the piston into its much larger open enterance, as it slides thru the funnel like construction squeezes the rings into the grouves and they can,t spring back untill they are in the bore, remember to line up the rod bolts and having them covered with the ends of a 3 ft long section or 3/8" fuel line to protect the crank journal is a good idea, having a ROD GUIDE TOOL you can use to guide and PULL THE PISTON INTO THE BORE WITH IS EVEN A BETTER IDEA
youll be surprised at how much easier they slide into the bore if you BOTH pull/guide and push the pistons into the cylinders rather than just beat them in with a hammer handle, it takes some practice but a few taps to get them moving with a fist, while pulling and guiding the rod into its journal is usually all that necessary with a well oiled piston and that type of ring compressor
 
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