273 & 318 single piston ring availability
good info, i think there should be a sticky for stuff like rings that are only made in one place anymore.does this mean the total seal and or the childs albert zgs rings are made by hastings also?
I'm really not sure, but one way you can find out is by poking around the company, either by website or by phone and ask if they are made in the United States. If so, you have your answer, since it's the only foundry. Even if not, Hastings makes a matching unit. They have everything under the sun.
They go by metal and treatment type, profile (torsional bevel, reverse torsional bevel, etc), and finally, bore measurement and profile measurement in their master catalog. They have cross reference as well as other methods of finding rings.
http://www.hastingsmfg.com/
If you mouse over Aftermarket, they have a ring finder database that is easy to use.
When you said one ring popped on you were you using a ring "spreader"?
I always spin the rings around the pistons, no tool required.
I use a pair of trans snap ring pliers that does not spread the ring enough to get it around, but helps open it up a little, so when I spin it on by hand, they don't give me a hard time.
I know how I broke the ring. I was spinning it and lost grip on one hand, tried to pull it up again and around and put odd tension on it.
I usually just have a Vulcan death grip on them, near the ends so the ends don't touch the piston, outside of the groove it goes on, start with oil rings, then second compression, and top last.