Engine: Standard Chrome Rings... For one cylinder!

[GrumpyOne]

I started an overhaul of a low mileage 259 a few years ago and resumed the task a week ago and just to play it safe, popped all of the pistons only to discover that one has frozen rings, (guess that some moisture found its way in), and need a replacement set.

Just wondering if any has or knows of a source for a single set of NOS rings, (chrome), so that I can complete this build...

TIA

[DEEPNHOCK]

Why must they be chrome rings?
Just curious.

[TWChamp]

I was able to special order rings for a single piston.
Can you carefully remove the rings and clean them up after soaking them with Kroil?

[Jeffry Cassel]

You might not want to use chrome rings; they take forever to seat and most of us don't drive our old cars enough to ever seat them. Do not re-install used rings. Clean out ring groove very well with cleaning tool (or a broken ring - don't cut yourself) Sometimes they are really, really difficult to get loose - that happens when you put Fe and Al together. They slowly weld themselves together. You might need a piston no I do not have a 259 piston, but one of the habitual readers of this site will have one.

[oilnsteel]

Best chance of finding an individual ring set would be Northwestern auto parts in Grand Rapids, MI. They have a website. I have used pistons.

JT

[dpson]

Dang, I remember having "broken" piston ring sets, but after looking they are 6 cylinder. If you decide to go with all new rings I have 3 different standard V8 sets (NOS), 536812, SP-50104 & AC-3212. Also have one (only) NOS 259 std. piston, 1539556.

[GrumpyOne]

Why must they be chrome rings?
Just curious.

Yes, these when installed were genuine Studebaker chrome rings. Gap on all was well within overhaul specs and the engine itself is low mileage around 70K.

The only reason that I re-ringed it was because it had stood outside, (in a car), for several years but the rest of the engine had to be disassembled due to stuck valves and of course all seals were shot.

JT

[Bud]

As an FYI, 194 Chevy sixes have the same bore diameter and ring width as Studebaker 259-289 engines. You might have better luck looking for rings for the Chevy. Bud

[StudeRich]

Excellent Tip, at least IF you have to buy the set, 6 should be cheaper than EIGHT!

[wittsend]

For what someone would probably charge for a single piston set of rings (likely having to break up a complete set of 8), for not much more you could get all 8 piston ring sets. An engine with 70,000 while it might seem OK still has a lot of miles on it. As eluded to in post #4 if your not 20 years old and looking at driving the car 100,000 over your lifetime a honing of the bore and cast rings will probably suffice until you breath your last.

[GrumpyOne]

Update:

I bought a tub of Evapo-Rust which is highly rated, non toxic to take care of the rust that is affecting the rod/piston/rings of #6 cylinder. That stuff arrived yesterday as it needs to go to the farm where the engine is. But, I left the offending piston/rod assembly on the floor of the car and the top chrome ring is already separating simply because it got to lie in the sun a few hours a day and the ring gap of the cast second ring is growing. Now the whole thing is submerged in the Evapo-Rust solution and I expect my issue will resolve itself within a couple of days.

Needless to say, I pulled all pistons out of the block and will separate all and toss the pistons into the same solution and send all rods to the machine shop to be trued. This and polishing the crank should take care of the lower engine. I did the heads a couple of years ago and think that this will turn out to be a fine little engine for the Pres State sedan along with the low mileage FOM...