"Most pistons I fit seem to need to be heated to just able to handle to fit the gudgeons easily, and getting the clips in can be challenging enough without the cylinders sitting there."
ahh, yes, but, have you got the factory gudeon pin insertion tool? strangley they only made them in 75mm bore size, so 1968 650 and any 1000'er, I have had the cross bar for this factory tool made by an engineering mate for the 80mm bore size, not strictly neccessary as the tool does work on both sizes, its just pleasant to have the bang on actual correct item, this means the pins can be inserted cold, a little oil on them of course to prevent tearing. I do have difficukty sometimes getting the circlips out, especially the normal ones (now) which are just a C shape, but I never have any problem getting them in, and three of them can go on the pistons before they leave the bench, random middle one, and left and right left cklear for the outer ones.
"I think you have to be pretty ham fisted to break a ring.."
Old technolodgy there Nicko, very thin low friction piston rings and cast iron unpolished bore tapers do not seem a good mix to me, and I have installed thousands of pistons over the years, when I was at Aperfield garage, I might have put three of four cylinder engine bottom ends together on the same day, that is crank in, rods and pistons in, exchange items known as "short block" in those days it was normal for car engines especially Fords, to last maybe only 40,000 miles, the famed E93A and 100E side valve Ford less than that, but it was an absolute joy when there was a six pot XK Jag engine to do, on the forecourt I used to check the oil whenever asked by a petrol buying customer, this was about every third car, and mostly they needed an oil top up ,battery top up and coolant top up, that has all but gone and you dont see oil on the forecourt anymore, if its there at all, its in in the shop, and battery/coolant top ups, almost unheard of on anything younger than about 35 years.
However having said all that there is no question that I am ham fisted, and that I do like my Mondials, Asso and Accrolite mk11's.
CLEM
Cheers!
