Smoking Rover not the good kind

[SafeAirOne]

The fate of the pistons is determined by the cylinder wall-to-piston clearances and any out-of-round tolerances specified in the bible, providing there are no obvious reasons to discard the pistons (cracks, excessive wear, etc...).

...Unless you're doing a 'down-and-dirty' re-ring job and not bringing it back within spec otherwise...

[Alk-3]

based on all you have said, it's the rings that are worn, not the valves etc. now it's up to you to decide how to correct the problem.
it sounds like you did a compression test, not a leak down test as such.
a leak down test involves setting the piston to top dead centre, then pressurizing the combustion chamber of that piston with an air compressor and an adaptor for the spark plug hole. you then measure how fast the pressure releases itself, and you can listen to various parts of the engine to see where the leak is occurring. if you hear it when you listen through the tailpipe, it's the exhaust valve, through the carb it's the intake valve and through the crank case breather means it's the rings.
I think it's safe to say you have a ring problem though, without needing to do the leak down test.

[albersj51]

Marks right. Unless the piston is cracked its fine and can be reused, unless the bore us now oversized/out of round. In that case, in needs to be bored X amount over and new pistons/rings fitted. The only true way to confirm this is with a micrometer, which I would only
trust to a competent machine shop. However, if you end up pulling the motor, you might as well rebuild it with new bearings, rings, seals, etc. then you'll know its good for the next 40 years

[thixon]

pulled the pistons after removing the ridge

Thanks[ATTACH=CONFIG]6881[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]6882[/ATTACH]

Explain what you mean by "after removing the ridge."

[I Leak Oil]

The only way I wouldn't replace those pistons is if I were ONLY putting in new rings. Pistons are cheap...Do you want to be here again in a short time?

Those don't look great but measuring them and the cylinders will be a better determining factor.

[SafeAirOne]

Explain what you mean by "after removing the ridge."

Presumably on the tops of the worn cylinder bores so that the pistons can be removed in an upward direction.

[eggman]

Thixon, the ridge I was talking about was the the ridge caused by the rings wearing the cylinder bore and where they don't wear (top 3/4" of the bore or so) was removed with a ridge reamer rented from the local auto parts store. I then honed the cylinder and cleaned the bore til no residue showed up on a white towel. I would take out the whole engine and do a complete overhaul but the money is just not there right now to do it. I plan on using a cylinder bore dial gauge measuring the bore at four spots around the cylinder and then moving up a half inch and then measuring again til I get to the top then comparing them to see if the bore is out of round. If it is (anyone know the tolerances?) I will have to get it bored by a professional. As for the pistons I was contemplating getting our hosts piston tops only not the connecting rods to save some money or just the rings. Thoughts? And thank you for all the insight!

[Partsman]

Replace the connecting rods too, also don't forget to replace the bolts as well, I had to replace the engine on my first Rover because I went the route you outlined here, the number 3 rod broke right where the bolt goes through, and I blew a hole right in the side of the engine, I had to replace it. Don't use fatigued parts, they'll cost you money in the long run.

[thixon]

Eggman,

Gotcha. Sounds like you have it covered. I was worried you did something crazy like went in with a die grinder or something. Sorry, no offense meant, you just never know what people will try.

[eggman]

Thixon,

No problem! Like I said I'm doing this the first time and any and all help is appreciated. I don't want to make a mistake that costs me a couple thousand to fix just cause I didn't listen to the knowledge base on this forum.

Again thanks for all the help to everyone!
Dan