We have sunsine again here on the central coast and it really made me squint today after over a week of very cloudy days and rain. I have just about all the parts I need to start to assemble of the engine. I broke a ring land on one of the pistons will trying to remove the frozen rings last week. I ordered a new .060 oversize piston from Kanter Auto Parts and it came via UPS yesterday. As soon as I opened the box I took it and the old piston and rod to the machine shop and the machinist installed it on the rod. The casting marks on the head of the new piston are amazingly similar to those on the original AMC unit so I'm wondering if a supplier somewhere obtained the original AMC piston molds. I complained to Doug Galvin via the telephone about him sending me a Felpro rope seal when he is listed as a vendor for Best brand gaskets. He called back and said he would send the Best rope seal, no charge. Don't bother returning the Felpro seal. I'm still waiting for it, but hopefully will get it any day now. An article I read recently mentioned Isky brand cam lube so I ordered a can and it came yesterday. I spent today putting new (used) shoes on the car. The old tires were weatherchecked and rotten (bias belted Sears tires) and dated from the late 70s or early 80s. I put good used Yokahama tires on the rear, which is what I had handy. (You won't normally catch me dead with a foreign made tire on one of my cars). I put used Goodyears on the front which I obtained off of a K-car at the junkyard this morning. A local tire shop does all the hard work and they are cheap too. We have a lot of Hispanics in this town and there is much demand for good used tires and a shop which will install them. Most tire "dealers" won't mess with used tires because it hurts sales and they don't want the liability. If I didn't have access to Cliff's Tire, I'd have to buy a tire mounting machine and do it myself, since I frequently need that service. Tomorrow I have to pick up an Eagle wagon then I'll put the 196 block on the engine stand and make sure it is clean, then probably measure the piston rings for end clearance and measure the pistons in the block for clearance prior to installing the rings on the pistons. Joe Fulton _______________________________________________ Amc-list mailing list Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list