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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1953 Ford V8 low compression -- page: 1 2     pauls39coupe 04-03-2019 @ 7:43 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 205 Joined: Jul 2014 You should measure your piston to wall clearance. I wonder what pistons you have. .083 replacement pistons were often oversize pistons for early V-8's with a 3 1/16 bore and steel sleeves. The sleeves were removed and the new pistons ran on the cast iron. Normally oversize pistons that I have seen are otherwise marked with even numbers .020, . 030, .080, etc. though the actual oversize should be determined by the machinist doing the work. If you have 3 1/16 (3.062) plus .083 pistons total 3.145 in a bore measuring 3.26 it would explain your low compression readings. 1953fords 04-01-2019 @ 1:54 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 28 Joined: Oct 2010 if the pistons are 083 and the bore is 3.265 where do you get the rings? 1953fords 04-01-2019 @ 1:27 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 28 Joined: Oct 2010 Well, today I got the bore measured and its 3.265 The piston has a 083 on them. What rings should be used? 37RAGTOPMAN 04-01-2019 @ 10:08 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1962 Joined: Oct 2009 hi 53 FORD most pistons are marked on the top with the piston size, 010 020 030 040 060 080 0100 you should use the same size rings as the pistons, do the piston move when you wiggle them back and forth. ANY CLICKING ? if pistons are to small in the bore,you should see the piston move, should have some slop in the bore, if you pour oil on the pistons, if it goes past fairly quickly, you have a gap some were the oil is leaking past the rings, you can fit the rings by pushing them down in the cylinder walls and measure the end gap with a feeler gauge, years ago they filed or ground the butt gaps so they were the right gap for the pistons, even if the rings were over size set,, they were fitted to the bore of the engine, this is my 2 cents 37RAGTOPMAN a engine rebuilding book might help at this point, most parts resellers offer several , on FLATHEAD FORDS, 37RAGTOPMAN 04-01-2019 @ 8:52 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1962 Joined: Oct 2009 53 FORD besure NOT TO USE CHROME RINGS, very hard to seat, use U.S.A. made ring set, my 2 cents 37 RAGTOPMAN supereal 04-01-2019 @ 8:21 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Did you check the ring gaps by placing each ring into the cylinder to measure with a feeler gauge? Did you stagger the ring gaps on the piston before installation? A dry/wet compression check will tell you whether the problem is the rings. Be sure to have the throttle blocked open when you run a compression check. 1953fords 04-01-2019 @ 4:22 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 28 Joined: Oct 2010 If the rings are to big wouldn't that be the problem that they are not gaped correctly which is giving the low compression readings? pauls39coupe 03-31-2019 @ 4:41 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 205 Joined: Jul 2014 I assume you are working on a 1953 8BA type flathead. The stock bore is 3 3/16 (3.1875). .010 rings would not fit unless it was really worn out. Time to get someone with an inside mic, to see what your bore actually is. This message was edited by pauls39coupe on 3-31-19 @ 4:42 PM 1953fords 03-31-2019 @ 11:32 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 28 Joined: Oct 2010 looks like the valves were set ok...removed heads and checked according to manual. Found out the bore is 3 3/16 which they told me is about an 80 ring size and I put in 10 rings. Didn't know that it was bored out when I took it apart and I am not a mechanic to know that I should have measured the bore. I guess that's why most of the compression test were around 20-28 and only one piston (8) had a 58. Sounds like I put in the wrong rings??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 37RAGTOPMAN 03-30-2019 @ 9:08 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1962 Joined: Oct 2009 hi 53 ford it seems odd to me that from sitting you would have lost compression, sticking valves open are what I would look for first, use a light and see if you can see them going up and down, I use my thumb in the spark plug hole to see if it has any compression,after adding oil to the cylinder, did you try a few different compression testers, just a thought, ? also open the throttle plate in the carb and remove the air cleaner,then take compression with all spark plugs removed, and make sure the exhaust system it not blocked up, like a mouse nest, if you have too remove a pipe to see there are nothing wrong with it, if it can nothing can go out nothing will come in, try oil in the cylinders , do a wet compression test, if the compression comes up, maybe the rings are stuck from sitting ? doing a leak down test is next, I would try get it running, this most likely what it needs, loosen everything up let hear how you made out, my 2 cents 37RAGTOPMAN

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