540 piston rings, gapless or standard ?????
 

I am repairing my 540's that had piston damage. New block, new JE pistons, 9.2:1 CR, Eagle rotating assy. I am now ordering rings. I have built many high perf engines, but never used Total Seal's gapless rings on anything, automotive or marine. Are they worth the extra cost ? If not, what do you reccomend in a file to fit, Total seal moly ? , Speed Pro ? etc

Thanks

Fixx
 

i would try and match what was in the old engine if your only going to be rebuilding one of the pair,including the crank and rod's..if your using a heavier crank in the new motor it will be a slug compared to the other engine,its always best to rebuild in pairs.

I've used the total seal gapless rings in auto applications for the street quite sucessfully - leakdown numbers are amazing, and almost no blowby. I know of several auto racing engine builders that swear by them.

That said, I have no idea how they might work in a marine engine - extreme load for long periods unlike a auto engine. I'd call total seal for thier take - the race versions might work quite well.

Yes, I am tearing both down. Same / Same on internals. Just not sure about the ring selection. Gapless is an interesting concept, but I have heard both good and bad.

Fixx
 

you can go either way,if you plan on adding blowers in the future i would go gap less,if not then a plasma molly would be a good way to go..

I used gapless in my first pair of motors that ran for 3 seasons till I broke one. Then I went to std rings to cut costs and I am regretting it now. Less than 2 seasons and I am losing seal and power and the first motors had same comp as new after 3 seasons.

Smitty

Total Seal Gapless rings are the ONLY rings that I will use..........period. Just make sure the machine shop knows what they are doing and are able to provide the correct cylinder wall finish. If they don't know, go elsewhere or choose a different ring.
Eddie

What type of finish?

Ra 10-20 with the proper degree of crosshatch (approx. 45*)

What ring sets do you use? Max seal sets or something different? Thanks for the info. Normally aspirated application.