looks like i need new rings and a piston!

hoggyrubber
hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
edited November -1 in HUDSON
well i finally found out the reason my 308 was so hard to start. i have been battling low compression and after some good advice on pouring some oil in the cyl i did get it started up several months ago but,after adressing the other stuff i needed to,it never started and ran well after that.
i pulled out the pistons today. 1 was good, 2 had one broken compression rings, 1 had broken oil ring, 1 had broken piece on piston between ring lands, 1 the rings were so rusted into place i broke then trying to free them.
can i just get another used piston and install? anyone have one for sale? should i buy a new one? they are pinned type. still buy these? i see kantner has them but are they pinned style?
i measured the bores while i was at it, looks like they are .012" larger than the 3.810" standard pistions that were installed. think i should hone with a ball hone and install new rings and it be ok? anyone know if the sets kantner sells are for all 6 pistons or just one? anyone have any ring sets for sale? i saw several sets at okc but i didn't want to buy till i got everything apart and knew what i had. been down that road before and didn't want to buy anything that was the wrong size.

Comments

  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    If you're going to do a "patch up" job for the time being, measure the bore at the bottom where the rings did not travel. That will be your oversize , if any. Get rings, pistons for that size bore only. If it's standard at this point, you've got .012 thousandths taper/wear in the bore. If you don't mind some oil consumption and exhaust smoke, it'll get you by for a while. If the bottom of the bore measures .010 oversize, then you've only got .002 wear and with rings and valves should make a pretty good engine for quite a while. Good luck.
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    i double checked the bottom of cyl measurements and they are right on standard bore. 0.012" was max wear front to back right under top of ring travel. it was less on some- 0.007". i have seen chevy sixes with more than double this and they still ran. i guess a little smoke will keep the mosquitoes away.
    as most of you know or can tell i am not that familiar with hudson engines. these pinned piston are different. the compression ring gaps are all lined up instead of staggered like i am used to, at least on the install. well at least no need to file fit since there is overwear.
    so anybody have any standard size ring sets for sale? what about istalling a used piston for the one that's broke?
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    ha ha- at this rate i may get into the "woodrow wilsons". oh, it's not that bad, i guess. i am going to have to buy another head gasket the new one i bought had a few places that stuck and i'm a little skeerd to reuse it. it never warmed up so i was hopin to reuse it. the new oil pan gasket did come loose good so at least i can reuse it. i really wish i had pulled the pistons the first time around. you know what they say- if i had just started here, i would be done by now.
    at least i am learning as i go so it's money well spent. i have a machine shop i go to so they can prob help me out for not too much. i have a mill at home and access to a scale that goes down to 1/1000 or 1/10,000 of a gram. on the chevy engines i have done they want the whole spinning assembly and i don't want to pull the crank. i will look pretty funny carrying these piston into work though.
    great info too about the correct temp and carb adjustments. this engine had the wrong carb on it when i got it. i don't know how long it was ran with it but it was a older style smaller carb.
    thank you all as always for the info. looks like kantner has new piston but i don't think they are pined type so i don't want to buy a whole set of rings just for the one oddball piston.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Check out Dale Cooper for pistons and all your engine parts, you don't want to do this again and if something goes wrong it will cost a bundle.
    http://www.hudsonmotorcarco.com/
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    edited September 2011
    i called hudsonmotorcarco today and they don't have any of the pin style rings. i did get a piston ordered from another location so hopfully the rest will fall into place soon. i called kantner too, and they didn't have any either. that was if they didn't misunderstood my hillbilly accent, or i misunderstood their jersey accent.:whistle:
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Walt Mordenti here. I have a standard set of pined rings for a 308 engine. You can use the pined ring in a new non pin piston. E-mail hetwaltmordenti@aol.com Drop the het, this to fool the computers that reads e-mail addresses.
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    sounds great! sent you a email Mr Mordenti. i was thinking i was going to have to wait 'till my wtn got here. the piston i got is a pinned type so i will check the weights when it gets here. i will have the macine shop install wrist pin/con rod anyway. i think i will change the oil pump gear too while my oil pan is off again.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Walt Mordenti here. Found the standard pinned rings for the hornet. My partner had them in his garage and returned them to me. If you still need them, $60.00 and that includes the shipping.
  • Ol racer
    Ol racer Senior Contributor
    FYI

    Let me know if still need a piston....
  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    thanks everybody for the help in locating the stuff i need. i can't wait to get her back together.
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