Tricks to Removing Stuck Rings?

I put my piston in a a can with kerosene for a couple of days.

Then i took the acetylene welder and heated it.

Everything loosened up.

www.brandow.eu/ford33/hotrod.wmv

 

The pistons and grooves look fine to me. The edges are clean and sharp. The rings do extend past the grooves a little bit. The battery to my camera is charging but when its charged I will post a picture of one of the pistons sans rings.

 

He might get too paranoid and break a piston. Although he should be able to work into the wee hours of the night. At the very least, he should feel a sense of extreme confidence.

 

maybe boil it in oil?
***** of it is, trying to work with a hot potato

 

Drove all the way to NAPA and for some reason my debit card kept getting denied becuase of a pin error. They let my try several times. I have never gotten my pin number wrong before so something is wrong with their system or Wells Fargo's.

Does anyone know if NAPA brand carb solvent in a bucket is as good as berrymans?

I tried heating it to 400, heating it with a torch then applying wax, soaking one in ATF/diesel for 6 hours. I am going to let them all sit in ATF/diesel over night.

Ryland

 

Any fresh ideas for today? I am about to go out and see if the ATF/diesel did anything.

Ryland

 

deep freezer to oven, deep freezer to oven, maybe

 

i would not stress the debit card denile ( i would check your bank account make sure no one got too it tho)/ computers get wacked all the time.. sure makes us look silly.. but thankfully its not our fault.

good luck.. these rings sound evil.

also iv used the napa brand carb cleaner in a can.. worked fine for me.. dunno if its the same stuff or not. iv always used it to clean my vw carbs.
what did the pistons come out of anyhow?
chris.

 

Got one more. 8 to go. I think what loosened this one was I heated it with a big propane torch (weed burner size) then quenched it water about 5 times then I was able to break it out with a hammer and the ice pick tool I made.
The other ring on the same piston is having none of it though...

If I tried to weld a tab onto one of the rings and either vice grip or slide hammer it out would that work? Or would my welding melt the edges of the groove?

Ryland

 

i would not use a welder.. you would mess with the heat treat of the piston at a very local point possibly creating a weak spot.. just my opinion which means nothing. id wait for some more opinions on the welding.
chris.

 

I think I have found the formula. This morning I've gotten 4 out fairly easily. After their 13 hour soak in ATF/diesel I put them in the ultra sonic cleaner for one 8 minute cycle (not sure if it helps but it sure does clean them up) then I put them through 5 heat/quench cycles using a large propane torch and a bucket of water. Then bring it up to the vise and pound them out. Hopefully I will get the rest out today.

The two I have done this way so far show no signs of warping.

Ryland

 

I got them all off! No I have to clean them up and install the new rings.

Thank you for all your suggestions!

Ryland

 

It you don't have a ring groove cleaner sharpen up a piece of one of the rings and use that to s****e the carbon and crud out of the grooves. It is a bit of work but you don't end up taking as much metal out as you do with some ring groove cleaners. Wear gloves if you do it this way though as it is rough on the hands.

 

Thats awesome, glad you were able to salvage all the pistons without damage..
I have seen them so bad that there is aluminum piston smeared over the ring..at that point its a do over

 

You might try soaking them in lemon juice overnight. I had an old mechanic tell me this years ago on a john deere tractor. worked real well and did not hurt the pistons.......

 

if you put the remaining pistons in a solution of 50% ATF 50% acetone and walk away for a week they will be free when you come back.

 

I wouldn't think the heat and quench thing over and over would be good for the piston's.

I've had good results with stuff like that using a pressure washer. Get the fan spray up real close and keep the flat fan shape parallel to the groove. Go all the way around.

 

I was kind of worried about the rapid heating and cooling but they didn't warp or crack and the rings came out.

Now I ran a ball hone in the cylinders and this is what they look like now:

(Click for larger image)

Do they look okay? Do I need to hone it again with improved technique?

Thanks,
Ryland

 

Here is a tool I made to help clean the grooves, it worked swimmingly. Its just a sharpened bit of ring held it a wood handle with a set screw.

 

I was going to suggest dish soap, but be careful you dont drop the ring at the nudie bar....wrong type of ring....

 

**** well I guess I have a 264 not a 322. That's a bummer.