first the oil rings... is there any top or bottom or this side up with these? or as long as it is "flat, wavey, flat" i am good? there are no dots or color codes... and both my manuals just tell me "install the 3 part oil ring" with no specifics or warnings other than "dont bend them" and "dont use a ring expander tool for the side rails" but doesnt say that for the middle oil ring... so i assume i CAN use a expander for that... and just do the side rails by hand...


And then as far as gap.... (i may need to ask this in the boost section) but my blueprinting manual explains that engines used with high compression or forced induction should be gapped differently than normal street driven normally aspirated engines....
the book claims....
"the increased heat from nitrous oxide and or forced injection can cause the top and second rings to expland more. you can allow for this heat when you gap the rings for these motors"
and then the chart says ....
for every 1" of bore diameter, gap as follows
top ring
.006 for street nitrous or forced induction
.008 for drag race nitrous
second ring
.005 for street nitrous or forced induction
.0065 for drag race nitrous

well mine would fall under the street nitrous or forced induction... (maybe both one day)

so with a 3.5" bore (rounded)... they say i should be using a (.006 x 3.5) .021 gap on top ring and .0175 (.005 x 3.5) for the second ring?
so .021 and .175 compared to GM specs at .006 - .0120 and .0098 - .0160
that is nearly double the facotry spec max gap...

but then again, right in the haynes guide it says
"if gap is too small it must be enlarged or the ring ends may touch causing serious engine damage" but....
"excess end gap isnt critical unless it is over .040"

so even the .021 recomended for boosted engines is well under the .040 where they say to start worrying...

soooo.... do i stick with OEM gap... or go with the "boosted gap" or maybe compromise somewhere in between?

Quote:

or as long as it is "flat, wavey, flat" i am good?

Yep.


Well i havent built a boosted engine yet, but you are tossing your M45 back on it. So it will be a boosted engine, so my logic say to go with the specs for a boosted engine.