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I just got the rings in for the 5.5 Fisherman. Been working all day on the motor tearing it down. Upon checking the the gap on the original rings they were past the maximum tolerance of 0.015. I doubt that was by accident or wear. I do believe that this motor was opened before.
OK, well proceed carefully if you think it has been apart before. Start by checking the ring end gaps of the new rings in different locations on both cylinders. Someone may have attempted to bore/hone this thing and gone overboard. Good idea to measure the piston skirts as well. Oversize pistons are usually stamped with their oversize dimensions on the piston domes if OEM pistons were used. Make sure that the pistons are correctly oriented in the cylinders and that there is not excessive rod wear. These are simple engines, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t easy to screw up while assembling. The rod caps are unique to the rod they were manufactured with and must be correctly oriented. In short, check everything and “assssume” it was all put together improperly so you won’t miss any previous mistakes.