Yet again seeking the wisdom of those with MUCH more experience than me. I’m going to college this August, about an hour from home, so it’s a race against the clock to get this darn truck working (64 F100 w/ 292). I’m currently taking the engine apart to deck the heads and get a new head gasket. While those were off I figured I’d replace the piston rings. I see a couple scenarios here; is it worth it to replace the rings or should I just focus on my head gasket? I figure if my block is warped in between cylinder heads then I’ll have to pull the pistons because of the metal shavings that’ll get in when i level the block, but under the assumption all is well, would it be worth replacing the rings and rod bearings, or would it be best to let it lie and just work on my heads? I think I might do a “shake test” on my pistons to test their fit, and go from there, but was wondering if I should just go all the way (money isn’t exactly plentiful but I’ll do what I have to) or only focus on my head-block clamping and leave the rings alone. The engine was rebuilt in the mid 80’s and the top end was (thank god) sludge free, so I feel pretty good about how the engine was treated, I just had an overheating issue and blew the gasket. I didn’t burn any evident oil when it drove earlier, but I also didn’t get to test too many miles.

 

If it wasn't an oil burner I'd clean it up and put those heads back on.

Do check the deck for flat and straight. And check the heads too before you have them shaved down.

If you go on to rings and bearings, you've got the whole engine apart and out of the truck. (Unless you don't, but an "in frame major" is a real pita)

So would you put new rings and bearings back on worn or otherwise out of speck bores and journals? No, so now you're off to the races with bore and crank turning, and cam bearings, and lifters.... A full rebuild.

So maybe you slap it back together and find that by second semester or spring break that it isn't right. You can always tear it down next summer.

Sludge free y-block is a good sign BTW.

 

Back in the early 80's I had a '61 unibody that started running really bad. I pulled the heads and put a new set of rings and timing gears in it. (I was in my starving student phase of life.) It ran great after that. Drove it from Tucson to Grass Valley Ca. I got rid of it after one accident and then twisting the u-joint off the front of the drive shaft.