Flivverking Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 We have the notion to touch up the upper end (rings and valves) on this Chrysler with engine in place. The pistons and rod assemblies are installed and removed from the bottom..as the big end of the con-rod is larger then the 3-1/8" cylinder bore. The bottom edge of the bore has a taper or bevel of about 5/16" wide to aid in getting the rings in. I'm not conviced yet this can be done with the crankshaft in place . Even if we get a test piston and rod snaked out, it looks quite near impossible to restall with pushing against the angle of the rod to piston and getting rings started back into the bore. Anyone familar with this procedure? Or does the engine to be pulled and crank out for a re-ring? Regards.DMS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldford Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 Not familiar with you engine, but I was able to put pistons and rings from the bottom on my 27 Big Six Studebaker. The only trick is that you may have to have someone helping by slowly rotating the crankshaft as you insert the piston assembly... Frank 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFeeney Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 A few years ago I put pistons/rings in a 1931 Chrysler CD-8 240 cu in engine. I believe it had a 3" bore. I could not lift the rod out of the block from the top as the rod was wider than the bore. Also the rod/piston assembly did not lift quite enough to slide out the wrist pin. I discovered by removing the rod bolts the rod would lift a little higher , just enough to slide the wrist pin out. What a great source of knowledge this forum is. Perhaps if we read it long enough we can all become a "Ed". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 (edited) I was able to remove the pistons from the top of my 1931 Dodge Brothers while engine was in the frame. Edited August 18, 2022 by keiser31 (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtech Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 I think any engine that the pistons have to come out the bottom is designed that you can get it past the crankshaft. Turn the crank so the throw is horizontal and it should be no problem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flivverking Posted September 3, 2022 Author Share Posted September 3, 2022 Thank you for all your replies. Funny how..absolutely nothing embarasses(and should) or intimidates me with people (and should) but at over sixty some dumb car repair does...that I would have thought nutton about 10 years earlier I'z got the pistons out..through the bottom... I found NOS STD to .010 over rings(by luck for 20 bucks) . The bore though worn and pistons are STD..so some honing..we will slowly get it back together. It did need rings and some serious glazing cut through... I could straight blade shave in the gloss of the cylinder walls. . . .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFeeney Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Always good to hear of projects moving forward. Remember to check your piston ring end gap when assembling. I am guessing the bottom of your cylinder walls are tapered to allow the piston/rings to come up from the bottom without a ring compressor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flivverking Posted September 4, 2022 Author Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) Ring gap will not be a concern on this bore...standard size pistons with over 117,000 miles...eck! On.a 1927.automoble is almost impossible. Edited September 4, 2022 by Flivverking (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viv w Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 Agree with DFeeney, check the ring gaps before assembling the motor. Push rings, off the piston about half way down the bore and measure the gap. If the gap is wrong it may either eat oil or worse break the rings and damage the bores. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted September 4, 2022 Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, Flivverking said: Ring gap will not be a concern on this bore...standard size pistons with over 117,000 miles...eck! On.a 1927.automoble is almost impossible. Almost? And didn't you say those are .010 over rings? This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me. When doing that sort of a rebuild, you file the ring gaps to fit. Take a bare piston, upside down, use its flat head to push the ring in so it is at least the bottom of travel (preferably more), check with gauge. They used to make rings specifically for this ("file fit"), as .010 is pushing the envelope for roundness, but it will work. There is about a 99% chance .010 rings will need filing in a stock bore, no matter how worn out it is. The whole idea of the oversize rings is to run a tighter gap than you could otherwise in a stock bore. It helps a little, or makes things slightly less bad. The bores will be tapered, so the gap gets much worse as the piston goes up. It is worst right where it needs to be tightest. That's why you check it at the bottom of travel. The gap is tightest there. Never go all the way to the tightest end of spec, you just want to be in the lower end of the stock range when the ring is way down the bore. Plenty of brand new stock rebuilds have blown up with the gap exactly at the tight end of factory spec, so don't do that. If the tips of the ring touch when they get hot, it will make an expensive mess you won't believe. Edited September 4, 2022 by Bloo (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flivverking Posted September 4, 2022 Author Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) Oh I always check every ring in every grove in the piston it is now married to and in 3 spots up and down the bore. All Standard size rings I have ever seen in 50 years covers stock bore to .010 over size... I am not jumping to some grossly over size ring and not checking the gap! I'm a jerk...but not that kind of jerk... Edited September 4, 2022 by Flivverking (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flivverking Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 Thank you all for the interest and comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leomara Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 While my 1928 Chrysler 6 cylinder engine was being rebuilt the rebuilder was thrilled to find pistons marked "standard" in the bores and so was I until we discovered those pistons were not originally from my engine. They were pistons from another engine salvaged into mine and the bore had been drilled out to make them fit. A total mess that required new pistons and finding another set of rods because those too had been salvaged to fit the pistons which had a different wrist pin configuration from the Chrysler originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flivverking Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 Leo, oh crap, that is what we find from cars that usually came back from South America, quite often. Was your car ever on a long vacation? Open Model As and early open Chrysler seem to have these adaptions .right or left hand drive. We just want to drive these old beasts for some unknown reason. We put no value at all to this old iron and see it as a disorder like hoarding pennies and toilet paper.. If you don’t plan on driving your project at every available moment when done, stop now, or put your energies toward something that matters! Like use it for some positive good when your done. Support and Drive it regularly to your local disability olympics and volunteer , instead of the car show or sit polished in your garage. Take all athletes for a ride and bring a smile and a happy day win or lose. Shame on those who restore cars and let them sit....so you can say I have 16 choice Packards and don’t use them ..Your an Ahole. Share your sickness for,god sake. , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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