Liner and head install advice

Coffee Can, I would imagine even a plastic one would work with a couple of hose clamps. As Ray54 suggested, when there is a will, there is a way! I do not know that a leather belt or or a band wrench, oil filter wrench, would not suffice to compress the rings. I can not recall now what we used back in the late 60's when we put the TD18A rings on a Thirty piston. Two to a groove but it worked, still running that way as far as I know. I know we did not have a ring compressor that big. -- CTS

CTS funny thing is all the items mentioned to get rings in place I have used stubby flat blade screw drivers to push them in starting from the opening work around to other end allowing cylinder weight to just hold them in as you move around.yes trying times with out much tooling to get it done.

I really appreciate all the tips people are posting. I’m planning to take my wire brush on my angle grinder to the old sleeve to see if there’s any chance the other sleeves might be pitted.

I’ll make sure the head stud holes are clean before I try to put it back together. Some nuts came off the studs and some studs came completely out when I disassembled. I plan to put all the studs in before placing the heads and then tighten the nuts down.

I have used zip ties on small bore stuff for ring compressors. I can definitely see how hose clamps would work also.

Another issue I have to tackle once the motor is back together is to free up the pony clutch. It was left engaged to the main motor for probably 10-15 years and the clutch seems to be stuck to the flywheel. I have it soaking in transmission fluid currently to try and free it. Was hoping to not have to pull the pony motor to get it to release but it might come to that I suppose.

I’m itching to get back on the dozer but I have kids sports this weekend and next so probably won’t make any progress for a bit. Keep getting parts/gaskets in the mail. Hope I got most everything I need so I don’t have to wait on parts once I start putting it back together. I get excited to work on it every time I read reply’s. Thanks all. I’ll continue to take any more tips people like to share.

Busso i have been on the end of a screwdriver doing the same as you. Another tricky one was the Duetz air cooled motors that were all individual cylinders. Without removing con rod and to get the pot back on we got a special ring compressor that unclip down one side to remove it once cylinder was on. Needed to be an octopus to do that job.

ChrisE, the name gives a chill, yes they are not the most friendly engine to work with at times, had a few part for total rebuild from crushing equipment, I have machined a few liners to taper and invert the top lip to match another liner top so we could oil up cylinder and rings and hold machined liner in place them push thru the new slug with hammer handle makes the job very fast and easy, no compression tool required then.