Having fitted the new bushes to the connecting rod, it was time to put on the new piston rings. These are simple enough to slide over the piston crown and down into place. To make the job a little easier and to stop the rings from dropping into the wrong slot, I cut some strips of metal from an old aluminium drinks can to use as shims.

The benefit of using a drinks can is that you can cut the strips with a decent pair of scissors and they are thin enough to easily slide between the piston ring and the piston itself. The first ring to go on is the bottom one, which is the oil scraper ring.

 

The process is repeated for the next three compression rings. The aluminium strips pull out easily once the ring is located over the correct groove. It is advisable to wear gloves as both the edges of the rings and the shims can be a bit sharp.