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| Nothing replaces a good scrubbing with soap and water. You need to be quick with the WD-40 or those cylinders will rust on you! This block started life as a Dodge Stratus 2.4. There are a couple of minor differences, but nothing we can't handle. This block has been de-bured, decked and magnafluxed for possible cracks or imperfections. |
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| Here we are going to fit the ring gaps. In most regular re-build kits, the rings are already sized for the over bore you are using. In a high perf rebuild, the rings are usually oversize .005", so you have to custom fit each ring to the bores. This ensures the best possible sealing, which is especially important on a forced induction engine. The standard rule is .004" of ring gap per inch of bore. But on turbo and SC engines they recomend .006" due to the increased heat, which causes the rings to expand more. If the ring gaps are too close and they expand and butt together, ... it's like putting the brales on!! The piston will try to stop in the bore. What usually happens is it tears up the cylinders and jerks the top ring land out of the piston. (.006" X the bore, 3.446" = ~ .020" gap) |
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| Organize the ring sets and number each one. Only the top and second rins are fitted. I use a digital fish scale to test the drag pressure of the oil rings. |
| This bolt has a large head made on it, so I use it as a gauge to push the ring down evenly in the cylinder. That way the ring is square in the bore and I get a good reading on the gap. The gap is checked with a feeler gauge. These were .014" gap out of the package, so I have .006" to remove. This is a slow process, because you have to grind a little and check, then repeat, untill you've got it right. To keep from overshooting, I start with a .018" gauge. Once I get there, I know I'm getting close. |