Well, after reaming ridges and honing cylinders all day Saturday, I
still don't have a working MG. I spent Sunday morning removing the
rings and cleaning out the three pistons I was going to reuse plus
the one from the parts car's engine. It wasn't until I had cleaned up
the three old ones that I started scrapping carbon off the top of the
parts car piston. Then I saw it. A little "2" enclosed in a diamond
engraved on the top of the piston, I believe this means I have an
oversized piston, right? :-( (I checked the other three pistons from
the parts car and they all had this "2").
It wasn't until later in the day when Scott Paisely, Mark Dodd, my
girlfriend Alison and I were sitting around the kitchen table shooting
the breeze and I picked up one of the bearings that I left there
(what, doesn't everyone have pistons, rods, and bearings sitting on
their kitchen table?) that I noticed there was 020 imprinted on the
back. This means I've got undersized bearings, right?
Anyway, at the very least I'm going to have to find another piston
that really does match the other three and order the rightsize
bearings. I hope my parts supplier has a generous return policy.
On the other hand, I have a set of .020 oversize pistons that look to
be in decent shape, so I could go ahead and pull the engine and do
that full rebuild with a .020 overbore. How reasonable is it to use
used pistons when doing a complete rebuild? How reasonable is it to
think that I can do an engine rebuild in less than two months (I'm
moving Oct. 1 and I would rather not have to move a non-working car
and an engine on a stand)?
One of these days I'll actually learn to look at everything before
ordering parts.
Still a wanker,
Bob
p.s. Is the list dead or just very quite? I received no mail over the
weekend, although my earlier note about Scott Paisley's visit did make
it back to me already.
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