Ontario briefly remembered how to be civilised today, scraping its way up to a balmy +10 °C, which of course meant it was perfect weather to work in Mario’s workshop — a space that treats heating as more of a philosophical concept than a necessity.
Once I arrived with the engine and assorted bits, Mario immediately unveiled an impressive collection of carefully prepared specialty tools. We admired them thoroughly… and then proceeded to use precisely none of them. Instead, we opted for the traditional approach: the quiet confidence of a master mechanic and methods that predate electricity, optimism, and probably safety regulations.
The barrel and tools were arranged on the bench, with the barrel set wide-end up — because that’s how it’s always been done, and arguing would only make things worse. Based on the bore diameter, our target ring gap was a neat .009″. Naturally, having purchased .040 oversize rings, they overlapped rather enthusiastically to begin with, so the afternoon’s entertainment would be the gentle, painstaking joy of precision hand-fitting.
Slowly. Carefully. And with just enough muttering to demonstrate the peaceful coexistence of a retired Master Mechanic and a Mechanical Engineer who knows when not to argue.
This is me, firmly cast as the apprentice, carrying out the precision sizing using one of Mario’s rather precise files. By pressing both ends of the ring evenly against either side of the “file” and working it back and forth, the gap is adjusted uniformly, resulting in a clean, controlled, and very deliberate fit.
My technique was conducted under the close and unwavering scrutiny of a master’s watchful eye. Progress was measured, pauses were frequent, and measurements were checked repeatedly — because nothing ruins a good day like discovering you’ve filed past perfection.
With the oil ring successfully fitted, followed by one of the compression rings, confidence was cautiously allowed to build. One ring remained.
This is what I call shock and awww… the exact moment I finished informing Mario about the distinctly unhealthy PING noise that occurred while fitting the last ring to check the gap.
A brief pause followed.
“Anybody got some ring glue?”
…Oops.
And so, the story continues — which neatly explains the Take 1 in the title.
Fortunately, coxandturner.co.uk still have another set in stock (email went out quickly). By sheer coincidence (and a generous interpretation of planning), my wife and daughter are heading to the UK on Saturday for a holiday visit. The new rings will be shipped to her mum’s place and smuggled back across the Atlantic before the New Year, wrapped in festive goodwill and mild mechanical regret.
A return trip to Mario’s workshop will be scheduled, and I’ll get the pleasure of doing it all again — this time armed with fresh rings, renewed optimism, and an even greater respect for that watchful eye.
In hindsight, I’m fairly certain I know exactly what went wrong.
I was wearing a pair of rubber grip gloves, and more than once they had a habit of catching between the ring and the barrel while fitting. That simply wouldn’t have happened with bare hands. In the ping moment, I believe the glove on the finger supporting the back of the ring snagged slightly, and when I pressed down on the front, the ring was encouraged — briefly and fatally — to twist.
Cast iron piston rings are many things, but forgiving under torsion is not one of them. Hard, brittle, and entirely unimpressed by my logic, it let go immediately.
To be honest, I recognised the sound instantly. Earlier, Mario had deliberately sacrificed one of my old rings, snapping it cleanly so I could use the broken end to scrape carbon from the piston grooves. Educational, effective… and foreshadowing, as it turns out.
We did manage to capture some video along the way for a future instructional YouTube post, but the editing and publishing will wait until Take 2 — when the full lesson can be demonstrated without the dramatic intermission.
That’s likely all for 2025. I’d like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I may post before year’s end when my Christmas present arrives (a fresh set of rings), but Take 2 itself will almost certainly be a New Year event. Finding warm weather in Ontario at that point may prove to be the real challenge. 😄