Originally Posted by
jjscott
I just picked up a first model 7032 60 and have started to clean it up. The rings are still good and stuck after 3 days in Hoppe # 9 gun cleaner and 3 more days in the anti-freeze crock pot. If I catch the end of the ring with the tip of an exacto blade and give a push there is no hint of movement. It's the 2 ring piston.
I know I can probably break them out, but I don't want to damage the piston grooves. Any other ring removal options out there? I haven't tried the oven.
Jim
Jim, this is what I would do - unbolt the front bearing housing (you may have to remove to carb first). Take the cylinder head off - there is no head gasket to worry about. Push the rod & piston out the top of the cylinder (depending how much running it's had, you may have to remove the carbon from the combustion chamber area first - it is a 1965 model). Now, before you start on the rings - check that the wrist (gudgeon) pin is free to rotate both in the piston, and the little end of the rod. It is a fully floating type, but if the engine has been sitting for awhile, chances are it's stuck in either the rod or piston. How to free it up ? Get a small block of wood and cut a 1/4 in. deep "V" groove in it (that's for the piston to sit in) and also, drill a hole underneath where the wrist pin will come out. Heat the rod & piston for 3 or 4 minutes in an oven, and using gloves so's you don't burn yourself, transfer the piston to your wood block and tap the wrist pin out with a short length of wood or alloy rod. OK - now the rings. Get a small Tupperware (or similar, but NOT the thin Chinese takeaway plastic type) dish and pour in some Acetone. Get yourself some rubber gloves and an old toothbrush, and set to scrubbing the piston around the area of the rings. Even though those rings are a fairly close fit, there is still a discernible though very slight gap between the rings and grooves, and you should aim to get 'em moving whilst trying to work the Acetone in. How to get 'em moving ? With enough fluid in the dish to completely cover the whole shebang, dunk the cylinder block in the Acetone as well. Insert the piston into the cylinder, and work the piston up and down, which tends to move the rings slightly. Every so often, take the piston out and run around the rings again with your toothbrush, and your aim should be to
not let either the piston or cylinder dry out while you're doing this - keep 'em wet with Acetone the whole time, as it dries out pretty quick. As you have the front end off too, after you finish with the rings, flush the front ball races out in the Acetone as well - all you need do is just spin the shaft whilst submerged in the Acetone. BOB