Need piston ring information
 

I have a set of Egge E120 +.030” for my stand bore +.030” block. Egge says the correct Hastings ring set 524-030. I have only found 524S-030 which appears to be a 3 ring set. I need a 4 ring set. Does anyone know where I can find this or another brand that fits?

Re: Need piston ring information
 

If the top three rings fit and have a proper modern oil ring, you can safely leave off the bottom ring set as they are redundant. The fourth ring was a "band-aid" used because of the inferior quality of the old style oil rings. When I built my last engine, I did a bunch of research and conducted discussions with guys on here and on the H.A.M.B. about this and came to the conclusion that the bottom ring can be left out because all it does is add extra drag to piston. I left them off, had the assembly balanced, and have not experienced any problems. I believe that I am not the only one who has done this in the past. I would just make sure I knew exactly what I was dealing with regarding proper fit and balance.

Re: Need piston ring information
 

C & G in Escondido,CA

Re: Need piston ring information
 

Post as seen on the Techno Source site by the late and great Paul Garrigan (aka Rumble Seat):

"RINGS: Ford originally came with 4 ring pistons to decrease excessive oil consumption. Rings contribute the most friction of any engine component. Check the drag on one piston in a cylinder using 4 rings and then again after removing 1 oil ring. Amazing! Increased friction causes a build up of heat as well as a reduction in hp. The added friction of the 4th ring causes an engine to run hotter.... something we really don’t need in our flatheads. To overcome friction requires hp...... hp I’d sooner be using for fun things. Why not change and run 3 rings which have 25% less drag than 4 rings do? Makes sense to me. Recent engines normally have only 3 rings and they last well past 100K miles."

Re: Need piston ring information
 

Thank you Deuce Lover!

Their website listed them as out of stock, but I called and they just needed to order them from their supplier. I appreciate the tip.

Also, thanks y'all for the recommendation of leaving the 4th ring off. I'll do that.

Re: Need piston ring information
 

524S-030 is a single set of rings for one piston.


R