Finally resurrecting my 350 twin, and I have a few questions on getting the cylinders and pistons to live happily together in the same confines. First, I have read that when measuring pistons, you should measure them at a certain point on their length to get the correct diameter, for 350 twin slugs, where would I do this? I have heard partway up the skirt, halfway up the piston, and I'm just not quite sure at this point...
Piston to cylinder wall clearance? Again, mixed reviews on this. According to the service manual, it is allowable for up to .05mm of gap between wherever this magic point is on the piston to the cylinder wall. Now is there a minimum? I understand there are relatively major differences between air cooled versus liquid cooled, and I just want to get information from the experts on here instead of digging through other information regarding liquid cooled specs.
Basically, I originally thought my cylinders were out of round, but after some closer inspection and some mic'ing, I believe they are still round, and still within spec. So that is a good segway into my next question, can I reliably measure these specifications with a slide micrometer? Or should I really send it out to a machine shop and get it measured professionally? This isn't a race motor, nor does it have any true performance parts, all factory internals, just for a reference.
Thanks in advance folks.
Steve
