Re: Merc Mark 5 ~ 6 Ring Compressor

[green-thumbs]

The "Mercury Service Tools" are said to come in handy when working on the small twins
and automatic transmission models. Not being very enthused about working on them
traded the ring clamps and part of the stand/seal tool to someone who professed a
liking for them. Thought I had gotten rid of everything related to them but a block
and some odds and end crawled out of where ever they were hiding.
The ring compressor tool are made in two halves of stiff springy metal strips that have
and interlocking tab/hinge at end. Looks simple but hard to make without some sort of tooling/jig/fixture and probably heat treated as well. Perhaps an equivalent could be made up by machining solid material such as a Delrin split collar that could be fasten together to hold rings in place. The small twins strike me as something a watchmaker might enjoy but
a little too finely made for me.
On the opposite tack I have used nuts on threaded rods to force stuck pistons out
of cylinders of early K Models and also a KF7 so guiding them back together would seem
both possible and worth trying. Guides are very helpful when installing exhaust manifolds
and water line on pre Mark7 11 cu in twins.
Point of all this is don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Sometimes the solution to a
difficult problem is very simple and worth making even for a one off job. Necessity is
the mother of invention says it all.
Louis

Note: nut on threaded rod give huge mechanical advantage…enough to snap connecting rods
I would not believe that possible except that I did it on recent KD4 tear down…twice!!! Both rods No harm done as parts were rusted solid…scrap metal before I started.