Thanks to everybody with offers of help and suggestions.
I looked for the VIN at lunchtime and there it is on the door pillar...yippee!
AND...it matches the one on the photocopy title, therefore I now have a '75
Spit!! At least I know who the last registered owner was for sure.
I called RMV Mass. again and got a brit. ex-pat, which helped (a little).
Unfortunately, he was well versed in official Mass. state 'ass-backwardese'.
I explained the situation again, and he said I HAVE to ask the previous
registered owner to apply for a duplicate title...which I already knew.
So, with apprehension I called the guy on the title...thank god he lives
at the same address! I explained the situation again and after a bit of
explanation and reasoning he said he would help me out!! Now I know theres
a differnce between offering and actual action, but *hopefully* this will
get soughted out. If he backs down I may offer him a small
bounty for doing this...whatever, because it beats $150 for
an Alabama title. The duplicate title is only $25 from Mass. RMV plus a couple
of cases of Bud. (ugggh) is still a lot cheaper.
Back to the 1275 Midget rebuild.....
I got back the balanced engine bits last night and upon checking everything
I found two piston rings were a little bent. Now by bent, I mean they don't
slop around in the grooves anymore, but if I shake the piston they move around.
They must have got banged around in transit or something and bent slightly
out of the horizontal plane. I took the offending rings off to see if I could
tweek them back, and this made it a little better. Howvere, they are not loose
like the others.
I understand the sought of pressure that rings endure, will being slightly
out of plane, and a little sticky in the grooves be asking for broken
rings??? The second problem is that these AE rings seem to be about 0.6 - 0.625.
I did get a replacement Hastings ring (not avail. from AE) which was 0.625-0.65
and didn't fit. Both of these rings are meant to be 1/16th or 0.625 (i think).
Getting replacement rings will no doubt be a pain in the butt and I want
to put the engine back together now!! What are the thoughts from the
'risk-it' and 'better-be-safe-than-sorry' sides on-line??
Marcus
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