Part 2, pistons and rods.
Here is a piston/rod assembly dis-assembled with brand new std bore piston
needle bearings, wrist pin, circlips and thrust washers. The rod was reclaimed from the blown motor.
Attached File
To begin assembly, count out the 29 needle bearings and place them in a nice row.
Attached File
Then I squirt a bead assembly lube on the row of needles. It's like greasy tooth paste.
Sorry I didn't get a pic, but the next thing you do is roll the needles up onto the assembly mandrel.
Thats the short metal tube next to the wrist pin.
Insert the needles and mandrel into the small end of the rod. Next I use more lube to stick
the thrust washers onto the four pads on the rod small end, one per side.
Attached File
Using a hot air gun, heat the piston top quite a bit. So hot you can't touch it.
Attached File
After heating, insert the small end of the rod complete with needles, mandrel and thrust washers into the piston boss.
Quickly insert the wrist pin through the pin boss pushing the mandrel out the other side
and keeping the thrust washers in place.
Lastly, insert the circlips into the piston pin bores using the "special tool". Done!
It's quite a trick, but after you've done a few you get the hang of it.
Attached File
More in part three.