I actually followed the process shown in a DSSMPassion video and fitted the pistons after the liners and crank:
DSSMPassion: Replacing The Pistons
My liners were clamped in place to stop them moving around, and I'd shaped large flat washers to allow me to slide the pistons past them.
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| Bolts and washers for Retaining the Liners |
All the parts had been ultrasonically cleaned and lubricated and were neatly laid-out. Ring and re-reading the workshop manual I made sure that the con rods were attached to the pistons the right way round relative to the crowns of the pistons.
The ring set was confusing as, although it was obvious which were the scraper rings, the others looked very similar and I wasn't sure which way up to fit them. it took me ages to find the word 'top' clearly marked on them........
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| Pistons Ready For Re-fitting - 4 August 2017 |
I'd bought a cheap pair of piston ring spreaders to help me fit the rings to the piston and they worked very well. The trick was to open the ring just enough to slipover the lands - but not to open them so much that the rings snapped..... All went well. On each piston the rings were orientated so that the gaps were 120 degrees apart and not aligned. I believe this helps to optimise compression.
With a generous squirt of oil, the bearing shells were fitted to then rods. I'd also bought a cheap piston ring compressor - one of those coiled spring things, operated by a key. Again, things went remarkably smoothly. Making sure the piston crowns were correctly orientated, with the aid of the compressor, pistons and rings were eased down into the liners. With a bit of fiddling I aligned them to the crank by refitting the flywheel bolts in the end of the crankshaft and using a breaker bar between them to rotate the crank a little. I added the other half shells and con rod caps - being careful to match them to the appropriate con rod - and torqued them up.
