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Re: "No more 'ring around the piston' "?

To: Andrew Mace <amace@unix2.nysed.gov>
Subject: Re: "No more 'ring around the piston' "?
From: Michael Burdick <mburdick@netserv.unmc.edu>
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 11:23:35 -0500 (CDT)
Cc: Scions of Stanpart <triumphs@autox.team.net>
On Fri, 21 Jul 1995, Andrew Mace wrote:

Tale of intrigue deleted...

> Only one thing was strange: I have yet to find any evidence of the middle
> ring! And this brings me to my only real question at this point. Does anyone
> have any good ideas as to 1. where the middle ring went or 2. why it would
> not have been used when the engine was last assembled (long before we got the

I opt for the easiest explanation which is:  the last time this motor was 
assembled, it was in the paddock 30 minutes before the start and only one 
ring could be rounded up.  That ring was placed where it would do the 
most good, the engine was buttoned up, and they went racing.

> There's nothing in the sump, there's no markings on the piston or cylinder
> wall to indicate that the second ring somehow went astray and wreaked havoc
> anywhere? Is this some good ol' racer trick, not to use the center ring?

This evidence supports my hypothesis nicely!

> Oh, one other thing. The pistons appear to utilize "floating" wrist pins. The
> piston/rod assembly I pulled last night also has some sort of white nylon(?)
> "buttons" inserted as caps on each side. Another racing trick? What for? (I
> didn't pull the caps off, so I don't know what is behind them.)

I have seen these things before - the ones I saw were teflon and used to 
hold the wrist pin in place.  The situation in my case was that floating pin 
pistons were teamed up with cir-clip rods - as situation where the wrist 
pin would be free to move around a scrape the bores if the caps were not 
in place.  Perhaps it was "insurance" in your motor?...

> Fellow Scions, I humbly ask your advice, speculation, WAGs, learned
> treatises, etc.

Speculation it is!

Mike
mburdick@unmc.edu

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