Rering ??????

If you're feeling up to it, you can do a pretty good job of snooping with basic stuff. You need a vernier caliper, a semi-decent one will run around $60 locally. You'll also need the feeler gages. You'll have to remove the pistons and rods. To inspect, you need to be prepared to buy new bearings, rings, and at least run a ball hone/glaze breaker thru the cylinders. The taper can be done wiht an old ring, as mentionned int he book. You must check every bore, and every inch or so from the top (ridge) to the bottom (below the ring marks..where the piston skirt goes at the lowest point of travel). Write it all down, it's easier..lol. The rod bearings can tell you if the engine detonated, ran dirty (long oil change intervals), had low oil pressure, if the crank is warped, or the rods are warped, and if the crank journals are std or undersize. The vernier when carefully used can give an idea of taper, and out-of-round on the journals too. Main bearings also display a wear pattern. any spots of copper showing are an indication of wear..Spots is bad, all copper just means they are worn out. If your finger nail catches in any grooves on the journals, the crank needs turning. Basically, keep your eyes wide open, and post pics of the parts if you have a question the book cant answer...everythign in there tells how it lived, and how it was cared for. You just have to listen to it.